While Others Fought for Justice
by Lux's Sister
Summary: Some only looked for themselves. A job gone horribly wrong brings the rebels to the con of their lives. Differences must be put aside, alliances must be forged, and old enemies must be stopped once and for all...or the consequences will be unthinkable. [While Others #5. Very High T rating.]
1. Chapter 1

**WHILE OTHERS FOUGHT FOR JUSTICE**

 **Cast of Characters** _ **(Italics indicate an OC)**_

Ahsoka and Lux Bonteri

Steela and Saw Gerrera

Hutch

King Tandin of Onderon

Mina Bonteri

Captain Rex

Katooni

 _Sierra Bonteri – the youngest Bonteri child, three years Lux's junior_

 _Hero St. James- the rebel who yelled "Look!" at the end of Tipping Points; Hutch's wife_

 _Tav – Lux and Ahsoka's son_

 _Commander Torrance, "Tor – a vicious Imperial commander with a vendetta_

 _John Bonteri (deceased) – the patriarch of the Bonteris; gave his life to save the rest of the group_

 **Explanation of the AU**

This is the fifth installment of the "While Others" series. If you have not read the other stories, _please go read them now._ This story will not make any sense unless you have read them.

Since it's been a while since "While Others Raised A White Flag" was completed, I will try my best to jog your memory here.

This story takes place in an alternate universe where several characters who appear to die have survived due to a government program called the Lazarus Project.

The Lazarus Project was created by Palpatine as a measure to smooth the transition from Republic to Empire by having figures the people had thought to be dead return and distract the populace. Three of these people were Lux Bonteri's parents and Steela Gerrera.

After Steela's escape from prison and the exposure of the Lazarus Project, King Dendup was ejected from the throne and General Tandin became king of Onderon. He and the remnants of the Onderon Rebels escaped Order 66 when Captain Rex warned them.

This didn't prevent rebel losses, however. After stealing their money back from Tarkin, the rebels walked into a trap which ended up taking the life of John Bonteri.

Previously, Ahsoka and Lux (as well as a couple rebels named Hutch and Hero) got married and shortly after Order 66, Ahsoka became pregnant and had a son, Tavin John Bonteri.

And without further ado, I present the story.

 **AHSOKA**

" _Over in the meadow in the sand, in the sun._

 _Lived an old mother toad and her little toady one._

" _Wink!" said the mother_

" _I wink!" said the one_

 _So they winked and they blinked in the sand, in the sun."_

Tav isn't old enough to understand my words, all he knows is that Mommy is singing while she rocks him in hopes that he'll fall asleep.

The sooner he falls asleep, the sooner we can start the briefings for the con. If we get that over with, then Mommy might have a chance to sleep!

I rock for a few minutes before I dare to look down at my son's face.

His eves are closed, and when I carefully put him down in the crib they stay that way.

 _Love you!_ I mouth, tiptoeing out of his room and shutting the door behind me.

Lux comes from around the corner. "Is he asleep?"

"Hopefully, he'll nap through the briefing and then some," I whisper. "I need to sleep."

"Hutch thinks it'll be pretty open-and-shut. I can take care of Tav while you sleep. After all, he's my responsibility too."

Words cannot describe how wonderful that sounds. Unlimited naptime!

"I'm going to take you up on that, Lux." I say as we walk into the room.

Our entire team jockeys for sitting space in our common room. Seated serenely in one of our chairs is Mina, a virtual encyclopedia of political and medical information and the galaxy's biggest Mama Bear. She may only have given birth to Lux and Sierra, in her book we're all her children.

Adding to our military knowledge is Captain Rex. He may not think like a Stormtrooper, but he can pretend to be a pretty good one when he goes undercover.

Following in second place for the ship parent is King Tandin, everybody's grandpa. Try messing with someone from our ship, and you will realize why Tandin was nicknamed "Ho Lee Schitt" by his coworkers. You'll realize it faster if that someone is Steela.

"Steela" being Steela Gerrera, the thief whose first heist was not a wallet, not a burglary, but a _tank._ From mints out of her nurses' pockets during the Lazarus Project to Grand Moff Tarkin's good name, I can't count everything she's stolen. She's also my best friend.

Her brother Saw is the group's resident muscle. Saw loves a good fight, and he scares the tar out of people. It's a perfect fit.

There's Hutch: a former rebel and Reddy Mart cashier turned hacker. His computer origins may have been humble, but his tricks have gotten us out of many a bind. He's married to Hero, probably the best cook in the galaxy.

And then there is Sierra, Lux's fifteen-year-old sister. It's her job to talk to the marks and get them to swallow a lie hook, line, and, sinker.

"I like acting." She told me when I asked her how she could possibly do it. "Plus, there are perks: I get to have lots of clothes and shoes."

Sierra has six pairs of shoes. I have two.

Following her is Katooni, the youngest. Katooni sits between Hutch and Hero. She's wearing a pink and orange paisley shirt.

"That's a pretty shirt. When did you get it?" Hero remarks, taking a pinch of the fabric between her fingers.

"It was a hand-me-down," Katooni explains.

Just then Sierra walks into the room. "Hey, have any of you seen my paisley top? I can't find it."

Katooni crosses her arms over her chest. Alas, the top has sleeves.

"You could have just asked." Sierra grumbles.

"I didn't know you could fit Sierra's clothes." Mina says.

Katooni relaxes, and I notice how baggy the shirt is on her. "I can't. But it's just so pretty!"

"Next time, ask." Sierra huffs as she takes a seat next to Steela. Big mistake.

Steela turns up Sierra's shirt collar and reads the tag.

"I thought it was _my_ job to be the thief, whereas _your_ job is ask for things and have the mark give them to you."

"I did ask you," Sierra says. "Remember when I asked you if I could handle your laundry?"

"Doesn't count, sister."

Lux and Saw start laughing, but it dies when Steela fixes them with the look of death.

"I want my clothes back." Steela says.

Hutch clears his throat. The bickering stops.

"If everyone's done with the shirt drama, it's time to do the con briefing." He says and turns on the hologram projector.

"This is Lower Moff Ichabod Crossway. He runs the Empire's fiscal responsibility in the Concordia system." He says. "Now, so far this guy has been pretty lax about Imperial rule, but he's starting to tighten his fist a little bit in the healthcare department."

"Why healthcare first?" I ask. Most Moffs go after politics, then commerce, and then work their way down to things like healthcare.

"I thought about that too," Hutch says. "And here's what I came up with. Crossway used to work with the Republic Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, they booted him out of that field because he got a little extreme when it came to epidemics. This guy thinks there's no such thing as too much preparation. A few years ago, he tried to pass an incentive to supply all public buildings so they could become emergency treatment centers and give everyone in the galaxy a gas mask. The proposed budget was 78 billion credits."

"Not afraid to throw money around. I like this guy." Saw observes.

"Me too, especially because the Empire just gave him a huge budget. And by a huge budget, I mean 250 million credits."

Rex whistles. "The 501st never got more than 3 million!"

"I know, right." Hutch crosses his arms. "Lux, what are you thinking?"

Lux nods. "He loves nothing more than spending money. Why not spend a little on us?"

"How are we going to do that, O Mr. Mastermind?" Hero asks.

"I have a couple ideas. Sierra, how's your corporate bulldog?"

….…...

Sierra's corporate bulldog is "awesome."

That's wonderful news. It means that we can follow Plan A, and I can go to sleep sooner. I just have to get through the trials of getting ready for the con.

Steela opens the door to her room. "Is Tav still asleep?" she asks, stepping aside so I can come in.

"Lux is taking care of him when he wakes up. Mommy needs a nap." I announce. "I haven't seen you in that sweater before. It's pretty."

"Thanks. It's Hero's."

Is it even possible to live in an eternal slumber party and not go insane? It is. We're living evidence of it.

I cut to the chase. "I need to borrow your soap. I forgot to get some when we last went shopping, and I'm all out.

"Sure," Steela agrees, rummaging through her shower caddy and grabbing her body wash.

Sierra looks up from filing her nails. "How's he doing?"

I shrug. "He's tired, but aren't we all? He's also a little confused about some of the finer points of fatherhood…"

 _Lux, I may love you dearly but you put Tavin's diaper on backwards. Again._

Sierra shrugs and goes back to her nails. "He can be a dolt sometimes, but he's a lovable dolt."

I decide to change the subject. "Do you have your identity planned out?"

Sierra nods. "Yup. Hutch made it a long time ago. This one's good."

Hero turns from Steela's vanity, half her makeup on. "They're all good. They just don't last long because you go through aliases like _popcorn,_ sweet cheeks." She announces before going back to doing her eyeliner.

Sierra rolls her eyes.

"Who are you going to be?" I ask Steela.

"Mail room worker named Deanna." Steela says. "And you?"

"I'm working the phones with Hero."

Hero gives a thumbs-up with her free hand. "Hooray. We can keep Hutch and Lux from driving us insane."

I grab Steela's body wash and turn to go take my well-deserved nap, when a baby's cry comes from our room.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, when another sound comparable to an angel's choir comes appears.

 _"It's okay, it's okay. Daddy's got you."_ Lux says. _"Do you want a bottle? Just wait until I warm it up."_

Lux has the baby handled. I can nap!

Steela wraps an arm around my shoulders. "All right, let's get you to bed before you pass out on the floor or something."

My eyes close when my head hits the pillow.

But right before I fall asleep, I hear Steela mutter something as she tucks me in.

"I am such a good friend, aren't I?"

 **LUX**

 _"Waaaaaa!"_

I bounce Tav on my hip while mixing up the formula with one hand.

"Shh…shh…" I croon, putting the bottle in the microwave. "It's okay, Daddy's got you."

Tav's wails only increase in volume. The timer on the microwave moves at a snail's pace.

 _"Hush little baby, don't say a word."_ I sing. _"Uh…Daddy forgot the rest of the words."_

"WAAAAAAA!"

I shoot a prayer up to the baby formula gods: _Please, please let the formula heat up to just the right temperature, and that Tav's hungry and not just cranky._

The microwave dings. _Thank the Lord._

I squirt a little bit of formula onto my arm to test it, and then place the teat at Tav's lips. He takes it and starts sucking hungrily.

I lower myself into a chair, Tavin's warm body resting against mine.

"Is that all you needed, buddy?" I ask.

"It better be," Saw says, removing his headphones from his ears now that the crying is over. "Yeesh Bonteri, that kid is an eating machine. I can see why Ahsoka got so hungry when she was pregnant with him."

I remember those nights, the nights Ahsoka would eat an entire tub of ice cream. 

"He's worth every minute of it, though." I say fondly.

"He's cute." Saw concedes. "So, about the con. How many people am I going to be beating up?"

"As few as possible."

Saw looks down at his knuckles. "Shoot. I was hoping to get some practice in."

"We have a punching bag."

"Punching bags don't fight back."

"We also have Rex and Hutch."

"That's just sparring."

I roll my eyes. "If you want to start a real fight with Hutch, tell him that Hero's ugly. Or Katooni's a brat. Or that the University of Onderon is the worst team in the galaxy."

Two lies and a truth. How lovely.

Saw stands up. "You know, I think I might go with the last one."

I tense up, almost dropping Tav's bottle. "Saw, I wasn't serious!"

"Thanks, Bonteri!" Saw calls as he runs from the room.

 **A/N: Yes, it has been a month since I last updated, but I'm back with another While Others story!**

 **I apologize for the wait, but it took this long to get a good headway on the story. This one took a lot more planning than I imagined, which was helped** _ **immensely**_ **by the insight of 082 Martian Scout. A huge thank-you to you.**

 **So far, how was this chapter? Please leave your thoughts in the review box on the way out. Reviews really make me happy and keep me motivated for writing this story!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	2. In Which Saw Can't Drive

**CHAPTER TWO – IN WHICH SAW "CAN DRIVE"**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Clone Wars**

 **SIERRA**

As a grifter, I have to deal with countless Imperial scumbags. I have to be able to concoct lies at the drop of a hat, and I have to deliver those lies in a way that sounds like truth. All of that is as difficult as Hutch hacking into a computer system, Saw fighting bounty hunters, or Steela cracking safes. But there's one huge complication to my job. Half the characters I play are in their twenties, and I'm barely sixteen years old.

For this part, I've zipped myself into a skirt and blazer, manicured my nails, crammed my feet into heels, and asked Mom to style my hair because my arms are too short to do the back of my head.

"Will you teach me how to use that stuff?" Katooni asks as I'm trying not to stab my eye out with a mascara wand.

"You're not old enough for makeup."

"Why do you say that?" Katooni tries to sidestep.

"Sierra wasn't allowed to wear makeup until she was fourteen." Mom tells her.

Hero pipes up from the other end of the room. "Next time we go to the store you can get flavored lip balm." She compromises.

"Okay!" Katooni chirps. _She probably never would have been allowed to even go near flavored lip balm as a Jedi._

Steela yanks her hair back in a ponytail. "You never did tell us who you're playing."

"The alias is a liaison for a medical company. Like I said before, it's really good. How do you like yours?"

Steela looks down at her name tag, reading DEANNA. "I don't like it."

Katooni stifles laughter and Hero sighs. "You don't like any of your fake names!"

Steela fastens the tag to her shirt. "They're just not me."

"They're not supposed to be you," Mom points out, spritzing some hairspray on my hair and stepping back to give the others a view of me "Do you think she could pass for early twenties?"

"She looks like a kid," Steela pipes up.

I straighten up. "Really? You think I look like a kid?" I ask in my most refined, polished voice.

"Holy…that did something." Hero points at me with her hairbrush. "And it's creepy. It's getting under my skin."

"I know it is. It's how I get marks to hand us million-dollar checks."

Hero shudders and calls Katooni over. "Ugh…Just don't do it on me, Sierra."

"Who's Sierra?" I ask, stepping out of my chair. "My name is Emily."

 **LUX**

Hair, combed.

Body, showered.

Shirt, devoid of baby spit-up stains.

Dark circles under my eyes, less noticeable.

I am as ready for this con as any new father can be.

That is, until Tandin very discreetly points out that I have baby food on my sleeve.

I sigh. "Thank you, Tandin."

He pats me between the shoulder blades. "You only have a baby for a year, Lux. You'll be longing for it in a year or two."

"I think I'll be glad to sleep through the night."

"I never had a baby," Tandin says wistfully. "The closest thing I have to children of my own are Steela and Saw. I wish I could have known them as babies."

I recall a long-ago conversation with Saw. _"You and Sierra might have been weird, but you don't have a thing on me and Steela," he scoffed. "When we were kids, she used to wake me up by jumping on me. And when our mom tried to get us to wear clothes we didn't want to wear, we would strip them off and run around stark naked until she caught us."_

"Saw says that he and Steela were devil children."

"I don't mean raising them. I mean just being there, like an uncle." He explains.

And that explains it. Tandin's eyes lit up like fireworks when Ahsoka let him hold Tav for the first time. _"I've never held a baby before."_ He marveled, staring adoringly at the newborn.

"Thanks for pointing out the formula, all the same." I sigh. "Saw and Hutch would have made jokes about it."

As my number of stain-free shirts has now officially been reduced to zero, I roll up my sleeve to hide the stain and trudge into the "Briefing room" (Read: the living room with Hutch's computer brought in), taking my usual seat next to Ahsoka.

"Where's the baby?" I ask.

Ahsoka turns her head and looks at me.

"I am exhausted." She states simply.

A little cry directs my attention to the other side of the room. Saw stands there, bouncing Tav in his arms.

"Saw, I didn't know you could be so domestic."

"I lost the coin toss, okay?" Saw half-whispers-half-yells, so he won't wake the baby.

"I already took his picture," Sierra crows.

"Send it to me, will you sis?"

Saw groans, and continues patting Tav on the back. "Go to sleep, go to sleep…"

Mom opens her arms. "Saw, I can take him."

"Thanks, Mrs Bonteri, but I've got to show Hutch how to put a baby to sleep. Like a man."

"He likes lullabies." Ahsoka says helpfully.

Saw tilts his head down to sing softly into Tav's ear, and Hutch passes us all manila envelopes.

"These are your new identities." He says. "Now except for Sierra, whose I made ahead of time, these are all new. Like before every con, I'd suggest reading them, but I know all you guys do is skim."

I don't hear him. I'm too busy skimming.

Name: Cesar Garrity. Age: Twenty-one. Occupation: glorified secretary. Yes, Hutch had the gall to write "glorified secretary" on the information sheet.

"I'm a janitor again?" Saw complains.

Steela groans and looks up from her sheet. "Deanna Rageerr? The last name is an anagram for 'Gerrera'!"

Hero points at her. "In Hutch's defense, you have a thing for anagrams, _Tesla."_

"That was once." Steela grumbles and goes back to her papers.

I stand up. "Okay everyone, here's the plan. We're going to run the Page's Scepter."

Ahsoka cocks an eye marking. "How are we going to do that? This mark doesn't buy relics."

The Page's Scepter is a game where you create a phony relic and sell it to the mark at an exorbitant price. It works beautifully when you have lots of time, preparation, resources, and a mark who's willing to pay through the nose for some artifact.

"We're going to modify it a little bit." I announce. "We're not selling him a relic, we're going to sell him something else. Something he'll be very interested in."

Sierra looks at her file. "Oh, he's going to be interested all right."

I keep talking. "Sierra's going to drive us up a block before the building. Then everyone else is going to get out of the car and she's going to drive in and park. Simple?"

"One problem." Sierra says.

"What?"

"I don't know how to drive."

Silence falls.

"How do you not know how to drive?" Ahsoka asks.

"I know how to make the speeder go, I just haven't gotten the maneuverability part down yet." Sierra says sheepishly.

"It's all right," Ahsoka covers. "We'll just have Saw drive, and you can be dropped off at the curb with the others."

"Saw…drive?" Steela gulps.

Saw pats Tav's back. "I've had lessons since the Lazarus Project."

Driving lessons are the best we can do in a situation like this. It's not like we have access to a license bureau, or formal driver's education. "Tomorrow will be her test drive, I guess."

"Okay, so Saw drives us in." Hero says. "Then we just peel off and go to our stations?"

"Basically."

….

"Saw, are you sure you know how to do this?" I ask, getting in the speeder and fastening my seat belt.

Saw rolls his eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Bonteri. I can drive a speeder."

"I'm curious. Who did you take those lessons with? The driving school?"

"No, it was some bum on the street." Saw quips and starts the engine. "I know what I'm doing."

He hits the gas, and we hear the engine rev.

"Why the kriff isn't it going?" he mutters.

"You have to put it in gear." Hero says calmly.

"I was gonna do that."

Saw stabs the speeder into reverse and steps on the gas.

Steela braces herself against the wall. "Oh. God."

"Saw-." I start to say.

But it's too late.

Saw slams on the brakes, jabs the gear shift to DRIVE, and floors it.

In a rush of squealing servos and blurry motion, we're off.

….

"Aaaaahh!"

"Saw, this is our turn. Slow down!"

If anything, Saw presses the gas even harder. "I don't have to slow down, Bonteri."

"Yes you do! Yes you do!" Sierra screams, her nails digging into Ahsoka and Hero's arms.

"No I don't," Saw scoffs, yanking the wheel to the left. Luckily, the oncoming traffic hits their brakes. One of the drivers sticks his head out the window and shouts a few choice words.

"Hey, that guy just called me a - ."

"He had a good enough reason." Steela points out.

Ahsoka braces herself. "Saw, Lux and I have a baby. We'd much rather get back to him in one piece."

"Everything's cool," Saw reassures as we jump the curb, "I've got everything under control."

CRASH!

Sierra screams.

I force my eyes open.

"D-don't worry!" I announce. "It's just a mailbox."

Saw reverses and gets us back on the actual street. "That's just a minor thing," he says, looking over his shoulder. "Tons of student drivers hit - ."

"BUSHES!" Hero screams.

"Bushes? What bushes?"

No sooner has he said "bushes" then the front of the speeder plows into a hedge.

"Saw, get out of the car. Let me drive!" Steela orders in her Leader voice.

"We're only a few blocks away. It's too late now." Saw points out.

" _Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."_ Hero prays, eyes wide.

I decide it's a good time to join in. _"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…"_

" _And Saw's driving,"_ Steela chimes in.

" _For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, now and forever…"_

The car comes to a halt.

Saw looks back at us, murder in his eyes.

"There. We're here. Are you happy now?" He asks testily.

"Amen!" Ahsoka shouts, jumping out the car.

"I can drive!" Saw insists.

And that's when I decide it's time to utilize my power as the mastermind.

"Saw," I say plainly. "You are never to get behind the wheel of a car again."

 **A/N: *looks out from behind newspaper* Oh good, Saw didn't get them into a speeder accident. I think Hero was on the right track when she started praying!**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, StarwarsRulz, Beth, and a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom for your reviews. And speaking of reviews, please leave your thoughts on the way out!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	3. Confidence Trick

**CHAPTER THREE – CONFIDENCE TRICK**

 **SIERRA**

"May I help you?" the bored-sounding secretary asks me.

"Hello, I have a 10:30 appointment with Moff Crossway." I say in a refined, clipped voice.

The secretary glances at the computer. "Spring?"

"That's me."

"Moff Crossway's office is down the hall on the left." She says, going back to her computer.

I grab my briefcase, readjust my center of gravity and start down the hall. Like in all Imperial buildings, the floor is shined spotlessly. Fortunately, I have lots of practice walking in heels.

I find the corner office simply enough and knock on the door frame.

"Moff Crossway?"

A wiry man stretches his neck to look at me, deep-set eyes ill and soulless. "Yes?"

I take that as my invitation to walk in. "Emily Spring, corporate liaison for Eagle Medical Supply."

"Medical, you say?" he says, shaking my hand. "I've done a few years working with the white coats and medical droids myself."

"So I've heard. And look at how you've risen."

"Someone has to bring the needs of the medical community to the Empire's ears." He says as we lower ourselves to our seats. "What business do you seek with the Empire, Miss Spring?"

Step one of grifting: make the mark feel important. People who feel important are more likely to make mistakes.

"I thought a man with a background such as yours would be perfect to bring our operations to light."

"In what way?"

"Eagle wishes to do business with the Empire."

"In what specific fields?"

Step two: Give the mark what they want. And do it fast.

"Among other things, emergency preparedness."

Crossway doesn't say anything, but his eye twitches.

Oh he's interested, all right.

"What form of emergency preparedness?"

"Wildfire, severe storm, tsunami, earthquake, terrorist attack, really any disaster will do as long as it leaves wounded. We have plans and protocols which would administer immediate medical aid on a large scale to those involved in the crisis."

Lux's voice crackles to life in the comm. _"You forgot to mention pandemics."_

 _You gotta leave them hanging a little, Lux!_ I think as I snap open my briefcase, remove a folder and hand it to Crossway. He thumbs through the pieces of flimsy with a quick – but attentive – eye.

"What types of supplies would be provided?" he asks.

"Beds, medical personnel, bandages, bacta, antibiotic drugs. Anything ordered by our customers and anything we deem appropriate for the situation will be flown directly to the disaster site."

"I see," he puts the form down. "Now why do you think the Empire will accept this proposal?"

"After the Blue Shadow Virus, it can't hurt to be too prepared. Who knows what the rebels are doing after all?"

" _Nice save,"_ Lux says.

It wasn't a save, but it's not exactly like I can tell him. I let it go.

"You're willing to undertake treatment for a pandemic."

"The thing about pandemics, Mr. Crossway, is that they are very, very expensive."

"Why does that make me take the slightest interest in your product?"

I set a second folder on the table.

"Eagle is willing to offer the Empire the unique opportunity of factory-direct prices."

Mom and Lux explained this to me a while ago. Goods are more expensive at retailers because they have to buy the supplies and mark up the prices to make a profit. Buying goods straight from the factory eliminates the middleman, so it's much cheaper.

"Factory-direct?" Crossway muses, opening the folder and poring over the contents.

"It's the quickest way to implement our policies."

"As well as the cheapest." Crossway says, shutting the contract. "You have my attention, Miss Spring…"

"Just 'Emily,' please."

"Emily. Before I agree to anything, I'm going to need to see these supplies."

I nod. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Suddenly, my whole team is in my ear.

" _Are you insane?"_ Hutch shouts. _"Sierra, do you know how hard it was to create this business electronically? Now you're asking for a physical location?"_

" _Steela and Saw, get out as fast as you can. We've got to cobble something together, fast. Sierra, we're going to need to schedule the meeting for tomorrow or later. Preferably, never."_ Lux says.

" _What if something important goes by while I'm stealing a corporate building?"_ Steela demands.

Steela's in the mail room, making sure nothing important gets upstairs. It's a lovely stalling tactic.

" _That kind of goes on the back burner because of Sierra's smooth move."_ Ahsoka grumbles.

Through all the yelling, I force myself to smile serenely and take my leave until I find the nearest refresher.

"Any legitimate company would allow him to see the merchandise." I argue.

And, just like they've rehearsed it, my entire team yells _"We aren't a legitimate company!"_

"We have to pretend to be." I protest.

Hutch forces his way through the noise. _"Do you know how many firewalls med companies have on the locations of their storehouses? They're meant to keep drug addicts and people like me out."_

" _But you can crack it,"_ Saw says. _"You're super Hutch with his little super computer."_

" _Yeah I am, but Super Hutch's kryptonite is this awful coffee shop HoloNet connection."_

" _Just hog the broadband,"_ Steela proposes.

" _You…you can't just do that, Steela."_ Hutch says tiredly.

I decide to stick my neck out.

"Um, no pressure." I say. "But we've got to have the fake supplies by ten tomorrow."

" _Ten?"_

"I got us twenty three hours, I don't think we can get much more!"

" _Okay, everybody come back to the ship. We've got medical supplies to steal."_

 **LUX**

"Explain again why we need to steal medical supplies." Tandin asks evenly.

"Because somebody whose name rhymes with 'mascara' told the mark he could see them in the flesh." Hero says.

" _Mascara?_ Really?" Sierra grumbles.

Hutch looks up from his computer. "Would you all calm down, please? I'm busy trying to find us something to steal."

"Can't you just search medical supply warehouses?" I ask

Hutch rolls his eyes. "They're not just sitting around like 'hey, drug addicts! Come and rob me!' And the patient confidentiality laws make it even worse. I'm trying to work through one of these firewalls and get us an address."

"Why don't we just follow a truck bringing supplies?" Hero asks.

Hutch pauses for a second, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head.

 _Yes, Hutch, that is your wife speaking. Better not say that idea's stupid._

"Follow a truck…okay, we can try that." He says, reaching his virtual fingers into security camera feed, bringing up the image of a paneled truck arriving at the hospital.

Then he goes to the next camera, showing the truck coming in to the parking lot.

And the next, showing it coming up the road.

 _This might actually work!_

But alas, the camera angles end. Hutch sighs. "It was a good idea…"

Rex steps in. "Hutch, you should look for a warehouse district around that area."

Hutch blinks. "Right. Right!"

"Looks like I'm not the only one off my game today," Sierra whispers.

I whisper into her ear. "Don't start with it, Sierra."

"But-."

"Sierra. Look at Steela's face. Do you want to start something with her?"

"…Nope."

Tavin starts to fuss in the next room and Ahsoka steps out to grab him. In just a second, she returns with the baby. I feel my body relax at the sight of my son. Looks like the feeling is universal.

Ahsoka dips her head to kiss his forehead. "He just wanted some attention."

Tav reaches up and almost gets his chubby little hands on Ahsoka's lekku. Fortunately, she maneuvers just in time.

"No, Tav."

"Goo." Tav responds.

Steela almost jumps out of her skin. "Is he talking?"

"It's just baby talk," Ahsoka explains. "He knows how to say things, but he doesn't know how to use our language."

"Whatever it is, it's cute."

Ahsoka positions herself to Tav is easily visible to all the occupants of the room (except for Hutch, glued to his computer.) "Look, Tav. There's Daddy, and Grandma, and Aunt Sierra, and Aunt Steela, and -."

"Baa!"

Saw puffs his chest out. "He just said my name!"

"Baby talk, Saw."

"You just don't want to admit it." He says.

Ahsoka bounces Tavin in her arms, "He'll say his first words in a few months. Hutch, how's the search coming."

"It's nuts, Ahsoka." Hutch grumbles. "Hospitals know how to hide their stuff."

"You can crack it."

The computer beeps. A smile spreads across Hutch's face.

"Damn straight. They might be able to hide from the hospital records…but nobody can hide from the electric bill." He brings up a manifest. "Okay, so a warehouse in the district the truck came from paid the electric company last month. The name on the check was a pharmaceutical company."

"Do you have an address?" Hero asks.

Hutch nods. "Of course I do, babe."

"All right, let's get a move on." I announce. "We don't have a lot of time to steal this place."

"I've stolen fake offices before. They're easy." Steela says. "But an entire warehouse? That involves inventory people, hoverlift drivers, managers…we don't have the bodies for an operation like that."

"I know. That's why we're going to use the original employees. Hutch, get me the manager's HoloNet blogs."

Steela looks at me.

"Huh?"

….

" _Thank you for calling Lockwood Pharmaceuticals. This is Kathy speaking."_

"Hello, Kathy? This is Marge from the humane society." Mom says. "Do you have a brown, orange, and white tooka named 'Mittens'?"

" _Oh my goodness. What's wrong?"_

"One of our catchers found him out wandering, ma'am. We have him at the shelter, but I would advise getting over here as quickly as you can. We have so many animals, it's hard to keep track of all their statuses when people come in to adopt, or when we have to-."

" _I'll be over there in thirty minutes! Don't give him away!"_ the woman cries and hangs up.

Mom turns off her phone and puts it in her pocket. No more than five seconds later, the manager comes rushing out the door next to our little group.

"Mommy's coming, Mittens." She murmurs.

Almost the instant she walks out the door, we enter in two groups: the people wearing suits, and the people wearing coveralls.

In the former group are Mom, Ahsoka, and me. Saw, Steela, Hero, Rex, and Tandin are all wearing coveralls.

"Everyone's got all their supplies?" I ask.

"I don't know how to work that holo-sign," Saw whispers.

" _Don't worry,"_ Hutch says through the comm. _"You just have to do what I tell you. It's easy. Now get yourself on a ladder at the sign."_

 **HUTCH**

" _Okay Hutch. What am I doing?"_ Saw demands.

I lean back in my chair. "You should find a holodisk port on that sign, probably somewhere toward the left. I need you to take out the data chip and put in the one I gave you."

A pause.

" _That was too easy. You could have done it."_ He mumbles.

"Sorry, but I've got a lot of stuff to do here. Very, very technical stuff." I say, and quickly end the comm transmission, stand up, and walk into the main room where Katooni is already parked on the couch with a bowl of cheese curls and her U of Onderon Rupings jersey.

"Did you find it?" I ask.

In answer, the University of Onderon playoffs blare from the TV.

 **A/N: Stealing medical supplies. Sierra might have messed up a little there.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandon, and Johnt12345 for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review! They are the only payment we can get on FanFiction, and they are much appreciated.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	4. Closing The Deal

**CHAPTER FOUR – CLOSING THE DEAL**

 **STEELA**

Our part in stealing the warehouse is so easy, a child could do it. After all kids love stickers, right?

Hero walks around the shipping containers ripping the old stickers off. I slap new ones on, and Rex follows us around with a scanner, registering the crates.

"Steela, you're putting the stickers on upside down!" he shouts after the third crate.

"But they read the same way, right?"

"You will put the stickers on right side up. That is an order from your King!" Tandin snaps, muttering about toddlers.

Can you tell that we ran out of Tandin's coffee last night?

I take extra special care to put the next sticker on right side up.

"Why are we doing this?" Hero asks.

"In case the mark tries to scan it to prove it's ours. Sierra's going to do her best but there's only so much she can do."

Hero nods. "Point taken. How do you feel about this job? Think it's going to go well?"

"The mark loves to throw around money. We can't ask for a better target." I say, sticking on another sticker.

Hero moves down to rip off another label. "I don't know, Steela. Something always manages to go wrong for us at the last second."

I'm very aware of that, but I try to keep the tone positive. "Well bad luck comes in threes, so ours should have run its course."

"Oh, it's past its course." Hero says. "During the rebellion, Saw got captured. Then you fell off a cliff. Then during the Lazarus Project, the guys and Sierra got arrested, and there was that whole charade with you and nysillin, and Ahsoka getting framed, the Empire, and…" her voice falls. "John."

A lump rises in my throat. A little over eight months ago, John Bonteri fought an Inquisitor so we all could live.

Ahsoka says that Lux was up all night crying about how Tav wasn't going to have a grandfather. When Sierra heard what had happened, I held her for hours while she sobbed.

" _He saved my life,"_ Ahsoka said a few days after his death. _"Tor would have killed me if he hadn't intervened. He and Mina…"_

John helped me when I was sick, too. He was always there if I was throwing up, and he would pick me up if my feet hurt too much to walk.

He didn't deserve to die.

I clear my throat. "Yeah," I say. "Yeah, we're due for some good luck soon."

Rex coughs three times.

"Do you need a lozenge?" Hero asks.

Rex shakes his head, and coughs three times more.

"Are you sure? Because I have one in my pocket right…"

Rex faces Hero square on, and coughs three times. Slowly. Deliberately. With a pause between each cough.

 _The mark is here!_

No sooner has the thought left my head than I hear Sierra's voice, practically yelling over the sound of forklifts, coming through the comm.

" _This is only one of our warehouses, Mr. Crossway_." She says, _"As you can see, we have plenty of stock to sell."_

The mark must ask how many warehouses there actually are, because next she says. _"Twenty-five, and our factories turn out more supplies by the day. With the new contract, we will be able to expand to fifty."_

Rex furrows his brow. "Fifty warehouses?"

"He better not ask for locations, for Sierra's sake." Hero mutters.

In all honesty, I am a greater threat to Sierra's safety than Hero. Sierra and I share a room.

"That's good, though. A mark like this would be happy to invest in a growing company which is churning out supplies to feed his preparedness plan." Rex points out.

I walk over to the edge of one of my shipping containers and look down the aisle. I spot Sierra walking up the aisle with two men in suits.

Hero comes over next to me. "The mark has a bodyguard? Better tell Saw."

I shake my head. "A bodyguard wouldn't be talking to Sierra."

"Well then who is he? A flunky?"

" _Of course this would all be outlined in the contract, Mr. Nightwine."_ Sierra says. _"Down to the last credit. Security is one of our top priorities here at Eagle."_

Lux's voice comes through my comm. _"Steela, I need that guy's identity. Sierra can't find a way to sneak it in the conversation."_

I hand my stack of labels to Rex and he gives me his scanner in return. Then I set off down the aisle, holding the price gun in my left hand and limbering up the fingers in my right. I may be a competent pickpocket, but I don't have the Force like Katooni does. She can lift someone's wallet half a mile away. And the man I'm going up against has a holstered blaster, meaning some kind of combat training.

I pretend to scan a random shipping container, then continue on my way.

Sierra sees me coming and directs a question to the suit accompanying the mark.

"Mr. Nightwine, what exactly did you have in mind when it comes to our contract?"

"Exclusive, with clear parameters on what Eagle can spend our money on..."

My fingers slip into his pocket, and his wallet is mine. I quickly slip it into the pocket of my coveralls.

 _All right Steela, find a secluded corner somewhere…_

I squeeze between two shipping crates and open the wallet.

"Everyone, I have the wallet. This guy's name is Konrad Nightwine."

" _Konrad Nightwine…let me put that into the system."_ Hutch says.

"You don't have to, I have his badge right here. He's ISB. Loss prevention."

The comm goes quiet. The Imperial Security Bureau has been trying to find our crew from day one. Of course, the mark would ask for a loss prevention officer to accompany him to a meeting for a huge contract! I would do the same thing if I was him.

Saw sighs. _"This job just became a whole lot harder."_

"Yes, I think it did."

 **MINA**

I have taken down all the manager's pictures, switched out her nameplate, and taken a seat in her chair when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

Sierra opens the door, two men behind her. "Mrs. Driscoll?"

"Emily, how are you today?"

"Very good. This is Moff Crossway, and Mr. Nightwine from the ISB."

I hold out my hand for each to shake. "Lorena Driscoll, business relations. I know you've already met Emily. Please, take a seat."

Crossway sits immediately. Nightwine hesitates.

That doesn't sit well with me. I don't think it sits well with Sierra either.

"So, has Emily shown you our contract?"

Crossway nods. "Miss Spring has gone over it in detail."

"Wonderful. Do you have any questions?"

"Miss Spring answered some of them," Nightwine butts in. "What I would like to know is what specific security protocols your company has in place."

"All our accounts and our records are protected with state-of-the-art firewalls." I say. "We have round-the-clock security staff to monitor them for any kind of virus or hacker intrusion."

The "round the clock security" is Hutch, waiting with a bowl of cheese puffs for the money to go in so he can squirrel it away in one of our many secret bank accounts.

Nightwine barely twitches a facial muscle. "And we can be guaranteed an exclusive contract?"

"You would be our biggest customer."

Crossway straightens. "Miss Spring said Eagle would be prepared to assist in pandemic preparedness."

"We would. We have the capabilities to produce protective equipment, treatment drugs, and the laboratories to test vaccines if the situation were ever to arise."

"And what how the Empire expect to benefit from this contract?" Nightwine jumps back in.

"Besides swift and effective access to medical supplies?" Sierra asks.

"With a three hundred thousand-credit down payment, I would expect something out of our deal." He says icily.

"We are prepared to offer the Empire a ten percent stake in the company." Sierra answers.

 _Good, Sierra. We rehearsed this. Keep it as close to ten percent as you can._

"Fifteen," Crossway counter-offers.

"Twelve." I answer, letting Sierra know that right now, I'm doing the haggling.

"Thirteen."

"Twelve point five."

"You drive a hard bargain."

"Twelve point five it is." Crossway interjects. "Now, if you could just write that in the contract…"

"Of course," I whip out my pen and scribble the new terms between the lines, then hand them the pen.

Crossway picks it up, but Nightwine stops him.

"Moff Crossway and I will be going over this tonight. We'll make our final decision in the morning."

"Of course," I slip the contract into a folder and hand it to them. "I'll send Emily to your offices to pick it up in the morning."

Crossway stuffs the folder into his briefcase. "Very good. Does ten hundred hours suit you?"

The door opens a crack, and Steela's dark hand slips through, holding a black wallet. Sierra takes it from her and discreetly sticks it in Nightwine's jacket pocket.

I try not to visibly hold my breath.

Luckily, the transfer seems to have worked, because Nightwine doesn't arrest Sierra. He doesn't move a muscle.

I stand up. "It's a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen." I tell them as I shake their hands. "I look forward to Emily bringing the contract back tomorrow."

"I do also." Crossway beams, pumping my hand.

A few seconds after Sierra leads them out the door, Ahsoka pops in.

"Did she give him back the wallet?"

"She did. Are all the shipping stickers in place?"

Ahsoka nods. "How long do you think we have before the manager gets back here? An hour?"

" _Yeah, about the manager."_ Hutch says. _"Soka, it's a good thing you're in there. Because you're going to have to pack up that office really, really fast."_

I feel dread seeping into my stomach. "How fast?"

" _This woman apparently drives like Saw and hit every green light on the way to the animal shelter. She was in an out of there in record time."_

"Hutch! How much time do we have?" Ahsoka demands.

" _Two minutes and counting. Go! And Saw, remember you've got to change the sign!"_

 _Two minutes?_

I frantically open the desk drawers and start putting the manager's pictures and her diploma back on the wall. Ahsoka swaps out the nameplates on the desk and arranges some family photos.

Panting comes in through the comm. _"Hutch, I can't change the sign in time. I'm on the other end of the warehouse."_

" _I've got it!" Steela says. "Hopefully, they won't notice I'm not part of the ladder crew."_

Having Steela swap out the datacards wouldn't be my first choice, but it will do. At any rate, I have more urgent concerns to attend to.

Ahsoka's eyes sweep the office. "I think that's everything!"

I double-check.

"It is. Hurry, before the manager comes!"

The two of us hightail out of the office as if our lives depend on it. Because they do.

On our way out, the manager comes down the hall.

"Why would someone do something like telling me my tooka is with Animal Control?" she whines to her friend.

 _For the good of the galaxy, Ms. Manager. For the good of the galaxy._

 _And also for three hundred thousand credits._

 **THIRD PERSON**

Konrad Nightwine sits at his desk and pores over the contract.

It seems legitimate, but one can never be too careful. After all loss prevention is his job, and one can never be too careful when one has the time.

He fires up the HoloNet and enters a name into the search bar.

The first few results are fine. Graduation from a competitive university, and a good job where she quickly rose through the ranks.

Nightwine digs further. He finds an excellent high school transcript and a few extracurriculars – debate team, book club.

But it's not enough. He goes to middle school.

There's a transcript and a few clubs, even an emergency room visit for a broken arm. He dugs further.

And hits pay dirt.

How do you go to middle school without an elementary school transcript?

Nightwine straightens in his chair, and runs an image through facial recognition.

On a backwater world past the Outer Rim, there was a country called the United States of America. In the fledgling nation's battle for independence, in a battle called Bunker Hill, their general famously ordered his troops "Don't fire until you can see the whites of their eyes!"

While Bunker Hill may have been a hideous failure, Nightwine finds the strategy works perfectly for him.

After all, when they're that close they're that much easier to catch.

 **A/N: The rebels aren't the only ones good at their jobs…and that's going to be a problem for one of them. *laughs maniacally*.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, Beth, Johnt12345, and StarwarsRulz for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	5. Things Fall Apart

**CHAPTER FIVE – THINGS FALL APART**

" _Turning and turning in the widening gyre,_

 _The falcon cannot hear the falconer._

 _Things fall apart, the center cannot hold,_

 _Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."_

 _-W.B Yeats, "The Second Coming"_

 **AHSOKA**

I hope Tav has dodged the colic bullet.

I've tried feeding him. He isn't hungry. His diaper is clean. I can't find any marks on him. He doesn't need to burp. He doesn't want a bath. He doesn't want Lux, or Mina, Rex, Tandin, Sierra, Steela, and he actually cried more when he looked at Saw.

"Sometimes babies cry for no reason," Mina tells me over the sound of Tav's wailing. "You just have to be patient, Ahsoka."

"I hope it's just that and not colic," I worry, patting his back. "It's okay, honey…"

Lux runs back into the room with Tav's pacifier and tries to give it to him. Tav is having none of it.

"Let me go get Mr. Tooka. That might work." He says and makes tracks to our room to get the tooka Steela made for us.

On the other side of the room, Sierra is talking.

"I'm just saying," she says. "I'm sixteen, and I haven't died yet."

Mina looks at her. "You say that like you can rise from the dead."

Sierra points at Steela. Steela quickly finds a holozine to read.

"You're not dragging me into this." She says, lowering herself behind the holozine.

Even between the baby and Sierra, it's hard to be in a bad mood. It's time to close the con. Sierra's going to pick up the contract, and a check for three hundred thousand credits, today.

Hutch takes the holozine from Steela. "What forces are we sending in with Sierra?" he asks.

Lux clears his throat. "Saw's going in, and you're on the computer like always."

Hutch gives a thumbs-up. "Good. Sierra, you need anything special done?"

"No." Sierra says, pulling her hair back. "I'm just picking up the check. Then you're the one in charge of getting the money and covering our tracks."

"I've already got the accounts in line," Hutch says. "It's going to be a cakewalk."

Hero pours a splash of her favorite wine into tiny paper cups. "A toast, everybody!"

I pass. No alcohol allowed for breastfeeding moms. "I'll take grape juice, though." I say as I bounce Tav in my arms. The volume of his cries decreases the smallest bit. It gives me hope.

With Tav balanced in one arm, I raise my paper cup with the others.

"To a job well done?" Lux proposes.

"To a job well done!"

 **SIERRA**

"Spring, for ten o'clock." I say to the bored receptionist again.

She glances up at me. "Emily Spring? You remember where Mr. Crossway's office is."

 _Good thing I do, unhelpful receptionist. And good thing it's my last day on this particular job._

 _It's almost sad. This alias has a pretty name. Maybe I can ask Hutch to make me another Emily alias. Or another Spring._

I finger-comb a segment of hair off my forehead and whisper as quietly as I can: "I'm almost to Crossway's office. Are the rest of you in position?"

There's the sound of something heavy and wet, a mop probably, hitting the ground.

" _Janitor duty. So much fun,"_ Saw mutters. _"Hutch, on the next job you're the janitor."_

" _When you learn to hack. Don't worry Sierra, I tested the money channels a few minutes ago and everything's fine."_ Hutch says. _"Now pick up our paycheck. Katooni needs new clothes."_

"Well hopefully then she'll stay out of my closet."

" _Like you stay out of Steela's?"_

Oops. "Point taken. I'm almost there, talk to you guys later."

Saw sighs. _"Of course, someone spilled water on the floor…"_

I mentally shut off Saw's grumbling and knock on Crossway's door.

He looks up. "Ah, Emily. Come in."

I approach the desk, my cheeks hurting from smiling so hard. "Have you gone over our contract?"

"Yes, I have." he announces. "Everything should be in order."

I flip through the contract. Sure enough, everything's signed and dated. "Excellent. And for the matter of payment?"

Crossway slides a cashier's check across the desk.

Pay to the order of: Eagle Healthcare Inc.

Amount: Three hundred thousand credits.

 _Victory!_

"Thank you," I say, reaching for the prize.

No sooner have my fingertips brushed the check when the loud, screeching sound like a microphone cutting out reverberates through my ear.

"Ah!"

Crossway raises an eyebrow. "Emily?"

"I'm sorry, my ear must have popped." I lie. I know what that sound really was: my comm cutting out.

"You should probably see a doctor."

"I think I will when I get home." More like give Hutch an earful. But I plaster my smile back on my face and reach for the check a second time.

"I would leave that alone if I were you, Miss Spring."

I try not to have a heart attack right there at Crossway's desk. Instead, I turn in my seat to find out where the voice is coming from.

Nightwine stands in the doorway, holding a stack of papers. Behind him are several others, Stormtroopers and men in the black suits ISB agents wear.

 _Oh, this is not good. This is not good at all_! My head frets.

"Nightwine, what is the meaning of this?" Crossway demands.

"I'd just like to confirm something," Nightwine says to me. "Your name is Emily Spring, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's very odd, Miss Spring, because the elementary school you claim to have attended does not have any record of you being a student there. No one in your high school graduating class remembers you either. And yes, we did contact every last one of them.

"Mr. Crossway, I'd like you to meet Miss Sierra Bonteri. Also known as Emily Spring, Annie Bennett, Juliette Backhaus, Etta Bowler, and my favorite, Taylor Swift."

A smug look spreads across Nightwine's face as my blood turns to slush.

"What are you, some kind of spy?" Crossway demands.

I desperately try to backpedal. "Mr. Crossway, I believe there's been some kind of - ."

"She's not a spy," Nightwine announces. "And there's no mistake. She is a con artist, and part of a larger rebel cell."

Crossway blinks.

"Tell me you saw the signs, Moff Crossway." Nightwine continues.

Crossway gapes, but recovers like all shrewd businessmen. "I knew something was off."

 _Oh God, the others don't know what's going on! I've got to get out of here!_

Part of my mind shouts: _You're an actress, not a Jedi!_

 _Oh boy, what would Ahsoka do?_

Answer: she would conjure up the Force and throw the goons across the planet. Well, that one's out for me. What would Steela do?

She would shoot her way out. But I'm a terrible shot. Steela tried to teach me once, and the paintballs we used for ammunition were splattered everywhere but the target. She hasn't taken me again. That leaves Lux, who would pull a gun also.

And I don't have a gun. All I have is Lux's Taser. It'll have to do.

I quietly slip off my heels under the table and unholster the Taser.

"Sierra Bonteri, you are under arrest for fraud, grand theft…"

I shove the stun gun's prongs into Nightwine's abdomen and make a mad dash for the door, haphazardly waving the Taser in the hopes of getting a lucky shot.

One of the ISB agents grabs a fistful of my shirt. I stun him in the chest.

His body leaves a decent-sized void for me to sprint through, every ounce of energy in my body powering to my legs.

"Stop her!" Crossway yells from his office. "She's a con woman!"

 _The stairs. Where are the stairs? Why aren't they right next to the turbolift?_

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the icon for the emergency stairs further down. _It's only twenty feet. You can make it twenty feet._

Unfortunately, there are lots of police in the hallway.

One blocks the stairs. In my peripheral vision, I see another block the turbolift.

 _Recharge the stun gun and get the guy in front of the stairs!_ My mind screams.

I swing for the officer blocking the stairs when something bites into my back.

Every muscle in my body contracts, then goes slack.

Someone darts forward and catches me under the arms.

"They're easier to cuff when they're down."

"Commander Torrance says not to bruise her face."

"What kind of orders are those?"

"Tor's. Do I have to say anything else?"

"Ain't that the truth?"

Someone else locks binders around my wrists and takes half my weight from my first captor.

"Call Commander Torrance when we get this one to the wagon. He'll want to know."

 _Torrance. I've heard that name before. Who is…_

Oh God. Oh no. No. No.

Not him. Anyone but him. Anyone but Commander Torrance.

My father's killer.

 **THIRD PERSON**

"Guys, Sierra just went off comms!"

Lux jumps. "What?"

Hutch leans in over the computer. "I had her on the frequencies a second ago, and now she's off."

"Did she turn off her earbud?"

Hutch shakes her head. "I would still be able to access the locator beacon, but the signal's gone. It's like she smashed it."

He and Lux look at each other. Sierra would never take out her earbud and smash it, especially on the job.

"We have to find her."

"The last place her comm pinged off was Crossway's office." Hutch says, madly hammering the keyboard. "I'm going to get some live security footage."

"Saw?"

 _"I heard,"_ Saw says, shoving his cleaning cart in a utility closet. _"I'm one minute from Crossway's office, more if I have trouble on the stairs."_

"Hurry!" Lux implores. "If it's just a technical problem -."

 _"I know how to lie if it's just a technical problem, Bonteri!"_

Steela approaches Hutch. "What's wrong?"

Hutch doesn't take his eyes from his work. "Sierra's off comms."

Ahsoka takes Lux by the arm. "Lux, she knows what she's doing. It's probably just a technical error."

That fantasy pops like a soap bubble with Saw's order through the comm.

 _"Get outside the building with the ship, now! We've got a problem."_

"What's going on?" Lux demands.

Saw spits. _"Her alias must have blown."_

Everyone turns to stone.

"What?" Hutch shouts. "She's using the Emily Spring one. That alias is airtight!"

 _"You can't hack people."_ Saw says. _"That's made other people's aliases fall apart."_

"Saw, where is she?" Ahsoka demands.

 _"A dozen guys left with her a few seconds ago. I'm trying to catch up but I don't think I'm going to make it. Even if I catch them, they'll keep going with her while I take on a few that stay behind, and there'll be two of us in binders."_

"The Empire has Sierra?" Steela asks.

 _"If you hurry, then it won't be the case!"_

Hero turns to Katooni.

"You listen to me, Kat." She says in her No-Nonsense-Mom voice. "When we do this, I want you with me at all times. Not within sight, within _reach."_

"Yes, Mom." Katooni squeaks.

Katooni almost never calls Hero "Mom."

"I'm going to get Captain Rex!" Steela says, running for the back cabins. A quick explanation later, and Rex is powering toward the cockpit with her in tow.

Code scrolls across Hutch's screen. "Saw, where's their vehicle?"

 _"West exit. Why?"_

Hutch bites his lip. "Because I'm turning that traffic signal red."

A keystroke later, and the traffic signal changes.

 _"It worked,"_ Saw says in amazement.

A smile twitches at the side of Hutch's mouth. "Ambulances use the same trick to give themselves green lights."

Horror washes over Lux. "You said ambulances have the same thing?"

"Yeah. What about-?"

There's a screaming of servos in the background.

 _"Nice job keeping the red light, Hutch!"_ Saw yells.

Hutch desperately taps his keys. "They're hacking into the lights down the block. _Hey Rex!"_ He yells over his shoulder.

"What?" Steela yells from the cockpit. Rex is too busy at the controls.

"Follow this street until it dead-ends. They might have green lights, but we know where they're going…and we're faster."

Rex banks hard, sending the passengers and anything not bolted down sliding across the ship. "Saw, keep following them." He orders.

The other cabin doors open, revealing Mina, holding Tav, and Tandin.

It was only a matter of time before they found out, but that doesn't make anyone want to tell Mina.

"Mina," Ahsoka says, taking a deep breath. "Sierra's in trouble. We're going to rescue her right now."

Mina turns white. Tandin grabs her arm.

"Mina, give me the baby." He instructs, lowering her into a seat and taking Tavin from her arms. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"We're going to cut them off before they get anywhere." Hero says. "Don't worry, Mina. She'll be fine."

Suddenly, Saw yells.

 _"They caught the end of a green light and turned left. I can't follow them, there's a bunch of traffic."_

"They were trying to throw us off the trail," Ahsoka realizes, horrified. "They knew we were coming!"

Steela looks down at the navigational readout.

"Rex…"

"I know," he says through gritted teeth. "We passed it already. Hang on, everyone."

Rex does an aerial about face, a move half-remembered from his 501st days.

Through the comm, he hears the sound of a siren.

Saw roars in frustration. _"Hutch, they have a siren! They're just blowing through lights, red or not. And…_ _ **get out of the way! My grandma can drive better than that!"**_ There's a squeal of brakes and Saw rattles off a string of four-letter words. _"You have to cut them off. I'm never going to catch up with traffic like this."_

Rex pushes the acceleration lever even harder. "Come on, come on…"

Lux's eyes don't move from the security footage. He's focusing with an intent Ahsoka has seen on exactly _one_ person. A person she doesn't want to think about right now.

When Mina looks around the cabin again, it doesn't make sense. It's a jumble of lines and planes, complex enough that even her Super-mom eye can't distinguish it from anything else.

Because she knows in the deepest part of herself that her baby is gone.

Ahsoka feels it in the Force. "Rex, land the ship so Saw can meet up with us."

Lux wheels around. "What?"

Ahsoka shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Lux. But they have her now."

"We can still-."

"No. We can't." Ahsoka says firmly. "We need to regroup with Saw so we can do what we do best."

"And that is?" Lux asks icily.

"Lux, we're thieves. Let's go steal your sister."

 **A/N: *blinks at screen* well…well that's certainly bad news for the rebels, especially for Sierra. Who all thinks that we're going to have a BonScary moment later?**

 **Thank you starwarshobbitfics and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of reviews, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	6. We Lose One of Our Own

**CHAPTER SIX – WE LOSE ONE OF OUR OWN**

 **Note: All temperatures in this story will be expressed in degrees Fahrenheit. Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.**

 **SIERRA**

When I come to my wrists are in binders, a man is holding my head with one hand, and there's something cold and metallic in my ear.

"Aah!"

I jerk my head in panic, but the hand holding me forces it back into place.

"Hold still," the guard says. "For your own good. It's hard to act without an eardrum."

"What did you do to me?"

"Not a thing," One of his free fingers begins stroking my hair, sending a cold feeling down my spine. "We just need your temperature, that's all."

I curl my lips into a snarl. "The second my friends find out where I am-."

"How are they going to find you, sweetheart? With your earbud?"

He found my earbud?

"EMP took that little sucker out. Your team will know that by now."

The thermometer in my ear beeps, and he pulls it out.

"Ninety-eight point six. You're not sick."

I have a feeling that's going to be my only advantage in this situation. That, and my experience as a grifter might be the only things to save me.

 _Remember names and faces,_ I tell myself. _Remember and interpret behavior to learn what kind of a person they are. Then use it to your advantage however you can._

"Where are we?"

The guard steps away and looks at the thermometer again. "You're not dressed for the cold. Not one of your best decisions."

The cold…

It's there, seeping into my bare arms. I guess it's always been there, I just haven't noticed it until he called my attention to it. And the jerk's taken my sweater so all I have to block it is a tissue-thin blouse.

For the first time in a while, I don't have a rebuttal for that one. So I take a line from a half-remembered movie and announce "The cold never bothered me anyway."

The side of his mouth twitches in a half smile. "If you say so. Now, is there anything we haven't gone over?

"Oh, yes." He says. "My name is Commander Torrance. You can call me Tor."

 **STEELA**

How did this happen?

Just this morning, Sierra was whining about me putting the empty blue milk carton back in the fridge. Now, she's in the clutches of her Empire, alone and terrified.

We have one comfort: They're not going to hurt her yet. They're going to concentrate on getting into her head first.

I remember waking in the Lazarus Project, my mind bobbing in the haze of drugs with Tarkin pulling my hair and Dendup going on and on about what a fine prize I was. Being calm and stoic is part of what makes me a good sniper and a good thief, but when they had me, I was a terrified mess. So terrified, in fact, that when John brought it up in a cognitive interview I burst into tears. The only thing that kept me sane during that time was Tandin's visits.

I was a veteran of the Onderon rebellion and they wanted me alive and healing. Sierra is a child and I don't think they care what state she's in.

Mina is a wreck. Tandin sits with her on the couch, handing her tissues and saying comforts every once in a while.

"She's smart, Mina. You and John taught her well."

Truth.

"Even the Empire won't hurt a child."

Lies.

"I'm sure we'll get her back soon."

… I can't decide whether that's truth or lies.

Ahsoka's voice breaks the silence. "Lux, stop pacing. Please!"

If Mina is a wreck, Lux is a nervous nightmare. Ever since we gave up chasing the Empire, he's been alternating between pacing around the ship and scribbling plans on pieces of paper.

"How am I supposed to stop pacing?" Lux cries. "The Empire has my sister!"

"I understand you're worried," Ahsoka says. "But until we have information, there is nothing we can do. Nothing, except keep our heads so we don't rush into something foolish."

Lux sighs. "I know, I know…" And then he goes back to his pen and paper.

Ahsoka hands Tav to him and Lux looks at his son forlornly. "Hey, squirt."

"Pvvvv." Tav gurgles, spit bubbles forming at his lips. Inadvertently, his pacifier falls out of his mouth. No sooner has Ahsoka swooped down to get it than Tav starts wailing.

Lux looks at me with desperation in his eyes.

"You know, how about I take him for a minute?" I suggest, taking him from Lux. "Tav, do you want to hang out with Aunt Steela?"

Tavin cries even harder. It seems to take a million years before Ahsoka rinses off the pacifier and sticks it back in his mouth.

"Is that better, buddy?" I ask, drying the tears on his cheeks with my sleeve. Sure, he still may be redder-faced than usual, but at least he's not screaming.

"Do you think he's hungry?" Katooni sticks her neck out.

We all stare at each other. Distracted by Sierra's kidnapping, we don't remember if Tav's just cranky or actually needs something.

"I'll go make him a bottle." Saw volunteers, completely at a loss for what to do.

You see, Saw is our group's resident muscle head. It's his job to keep us all safe. Shot in the dark, he doesn't feel wildly successful at the moment.

I step into the galley, where he's warming up Tavin's bottle.

"You know it's not your fault, right?"

Saw snorts.

"How were you to know the Empire exposed her alias? How would any of us know?"

"It's my job to protect all of you!"

"You're allowed to be human, Saw. You did the best you could."

Saw squirts a little formula onto his arm, then screws the top back on the bottle. "It's not just that," he grumbles, and then he hands me the bottle and I'm distracted feeding Tav.

Apparently, he is both hungry and cranky.

I give him his pacifier back once I get him to burp, but that still doesn't get him to quiet down.

"It's all right, it's all right." I soothe, copying some of the things I see Ahsoka do.

"Saw. Steela."

Hutch stands in the doorway.

"You need to come to the common room."

"Give me a minute." Saw says, reaching for the liquor cabinet.

"No." Hutch says forcefully. "You need to come right now. It's an emergency."

 _An emergency? We already have a crew member taken by the Empire. How many more emergencies can we have?_

Something in Hutch's voice tells me I really don't want to hear this, but I need to.

Saw gets the message too. He shuts the liquor cabinet and steamrolls into the common room. I follow with Tavin and hand him back over to Ahsoka so I can sit down between Mina and Hero.

Hutch stands up at the front of the room.

"All right, these people might have had a siren when their stoplight device stopped working, but the red light cameras didn't know that. It snapped a picture of their speeder ID number, and I managed to pull it out of the police records before they erased it."

"How do you know it's them?" Hero asks.

Hutch pulls up the hologram. "If you look very carefully, you can see Sierra's feet. They're in the back right corner."

Sure enough, there are two small stocking feet in the photo.

"She must have kicked off her shoes to run," Mina says numbly. "You can't run in shoes like she was wearing."

I take her hand. "She'll be all right, Mina. Hutch has a lead already, we'll probably find her before she even wakes up."

That sentence is utter BS, and I'm pretty sure Mina knows it.

Hutch bites his lip.

"I tracked the plates." He says. "And we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Rex asks.

In response, Hutch changes the holo, and a registration shows up.

"It's an Imperial vehicle." He says. "A prison vehicle, to be exact."

"That's to be expected," Rex says. Meaning: _Cut to the chase, St. James._

"But that's not it. Each vehicle has a registration number saying what facility it belongs to. Then they'll notice if one's out of place so the soldiers can't use it to go AWOL. This speeder is registered to Institution B."

Mina's hand stiffens in my grip. I suddenly have a horrible feeling about this.

"What's in Insititution B?" Katooni asks.

Mina chokes.

"Mom?" Lux asks, his face white.

Hutch shudders. "I dug a little deeper. And I found out who's in charge."

The holo changes again.

"The guy in charge is Commander Peter David Torrance. We know him better as Tor."

Mina squeezes my hand so hard, it feels like my fingers will break.

Hero clutches Katooni far too tight. Red marks are forming on the little girl's arms.

The name "Tor" shatters our fantasy as easily as a child shatters a glass by dropping it on the kitchen floor.

There will be no interim period between Sierra's initial capture and torture. He didn't wait a minute before starting in on Ahsoka when he had her.

But unlike with Ahsoka, there is no John Bonteri this time. Tor will have learned from last time. There will be no guard with a conscience who sees Sierra as too young for cruelty and interrogation, no one with a moral qualm about killing her once she's fulfilled her purpose, no one unwilling to break her body and let her screams fill the air.

No, instead Tor will assign guards who enjoy every moment of it.

Mina breaks the silence.

"John used to work there," she says hollowly. "It's _awful."_

Her grip on my hand goes slack, and that's as long as she lasts before Mina Bonteri, hardcore Senator, faints dead away.

 **A/N: Bad, bad, bad! Sierra is in serious trouble.**

 **Due to the story becoming darker the rating may increase to M, for what is happening to Sierra. If it does, it will only increase so for a few chapters.**

 **Thank you starwarshobbitfics and a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **(And it's also my birthday. Just throwing that out there.)**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	7. We Run In Circles

**CHAPTER SEVEN – WE RUN IN CIRLCES**

 **AHSOKA**

"Mina? _Mina!"_

Lux rushes to his mother's side, but Steela and Hero are there first. The two of them step off the couch and lay Mina down, propping a throw pillow under her head.

Rex gives her a cursory examination. "She'll be all right, she should wake up in just a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Lux asks.

"Kix taught me some basic skills. She'll be fine."

I don't back Rex up, because the logistics of our situation are snapping into place at a breakneck speed.

Sierra is with Tor, meaning she's good as cooked if we don't get her home. Lux is becoming scarily familiar to my old master. Oh, and to top it all off Mina's passed out from stress.

It's a good thing Tav is napping, because I don't think any of us can handle much more stress.

 _Okay, Ahsoka. So you have many legitimate problems. What did the Jedi teach you about how to handle them?_ I ask myself.

 _Easy, break them down into pieces and solve them one at a time._

 _One: Mina is unconscious._

That's incredibly easy to solve: she just has to sleep it off. When she wakes up, I should probably talk with her and Lux and try to calm them a little.

Which leads into problem two.

 _Two: Lux is acting like Anakin Skywalker._

When Anakin or I focused all our energy and resources into finding the other, our troops said we were "pulling a Skywalker". With Lux's hell-bent determination on finding Sierra, it's a safe bet that he is indeed "pulling a Skywalker".

And look how well that turned out for Skyguy. Now he's a black-suited psychopath completely lost to the Dark Side who doesn't even remember his real name.

One of the reasons I fell in love with Lux was that he reminded me of Anakin. Even if Lux isn't the galaxy's greatest genius at times and he can't remember to put the toothpaste cap on, he's still lovable, he is fiercely loyal, and he loves his family with everything he has.

Of course, those had to be the qualities that dragged Anakin into a volcano. Literally.

And of course, there's number three, the most urgent and distressing of all three problems.

 _Tor has Sierra._

I may have been sick when Tor had me, but I remember some details. I can feel the bone-chilling cold, the kiss on my cheek, his telling me of the torture I would be put through as casually as if he was discussing menu options.

" _So the electro-table isn't for you?" he asked, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb, a gesture which shouldn't have hurt but did. "Well, we still have knives and viroblades. I don't like those much, though. They're too messy."_

And then later, this name man callously cut down my father-in-law and left his body for the scavengers.

I was a Jedi Padawan in the home stretches of her training, and John was a trained military officer. Sierra does not yet have a secondary education diploma. When Tor starts in on her…

My blood pressure hits an all-time high, and not just because when Tor starts working on Sierra it's going to be swift and brutal.

It's because of what'll happen to us.

Steela takes her eyes from Mina and finds mine. As discreetly as she can, she steps out of the room.

I excuse myself for Steela's room and shut the door behind us.

"What is it?" she asks.

"Sierra."

"Well _thank you,_ Captain Obvious!" Steela says, reaching for her sniper rifle to wipe down the barrel; a nervous tic she slips into when she's scared or stressed. "You were with Tor for a while. You know better than anyone how bad it's going to be."

I nod. "Steela…Sierra's-."

"In deep trouble? Going to be very messed up? Good as dead?"

"No. Soft."

Steela stops her obsessive blaster-cleaning. "Huh?"

"She hasn't seen a battle. She hasn't held a weapon, except when you took her shooting that one time…"

Steela looks down at the gun. "Which was a disaster."

"Her only real experience has been the jobs. She's good at what she does and she's smart, but torture is another story."

"Do you think she's going to die?"

"No, I think she's going to crack."

Steela nods. "That's a safe bet. What about lies? Giving them false information? I mean, that is her job."

"Trust me on this one. When someone breaks under torture," I specify, "They just say whatever comes to their heads first. When she snaps she's not going to have the presence of mind to make up lies. She's just going to babble on about whatever she thinks of first and what she thinks Tor wants to hear. Which would be…"

Steela looks across the room. "Us."

I follow her gaze to Sierra's side of the room. "Yeah…"

"How long do you think we have before she starts to talk?"

I glance at the clock. "If everything Hutch says is right, then they're arriving at the prison now."

"When are they going to start?"

"Immediately."

"Ahsoka-."

"I give her forty-eight hours, tops. He won't-."

"Ahsoka," she orders, every bit the rebel commander she is. "Tell me what happened."

I don't have to ask what she means, and I've been her friend and her roommate long enough to know that she's not backing down without an answer.

I sit down on the bed, ironically covered with the same quilt John and Mina bundled me in that fateful day.

"My master and I were on a mission to secure a fuel refinery." I begin, "And the Separatists launched a nerve gas."

…

"It was awful," I tell her. "I was sick and I was cold and scared, and here's John trying to keep me with him where I could heal and be safe, and Tor ripped me out of his arms."

Steela is frozen in place. "How long were you there?"

I feel myself shrinking as if I'm not a grown woman, but that sick teenager once again.

"Overnight. He only had me overnight."

 **SAW**

"Okay, so Sierra is going to talk." Steela says over ration cubes, the most unappetizing dinner for the most unappetizing dinner conversation. "Which means Tor will know what we're doing."

"If Tor knows what we're doing, then how are we going to get her out?" Hero asks.

"We have to plan the con in a way she wouldn't think to." Lux says.

"We already don't have a grifter." Ahsoka says. "Someone will have to do Sierra's job, and in a way she wouldn't do it. Lux, I think you're up for it."

Lux nods.

"Hutch. Do you have any aliases that are still safe?"

"Most of yours don't run through the same channels that the Emily Spring one did. You have your pick." Hutch says, popping a ration cube into his mouth.

"Good. Second order of business: how are we going to get in?"

"Can't go the way we always do." I say. "If he hasn't figured out the maintenance worker scheme, it'll be the first thing out of Sierra's mouth."

Lux's face turns red, but Ahsoka grabs his arm.

"Steela, can you break us in?" I ask.

Steela gives me a look. "This isn't some random office building. This is a prison. All the windows and the vent covers are going to be connected to the central alarm system and if that goes off, we're toast."

"Can't Hutch turn it off?"

Hutch sighs. "I wish. But the system is controlled by an intranet, not the HoloNet. To turn it off, I have to be on one of the inside computers."

"Then there's only one way in: through the front door." Hero announces. "Our aliases have gotten us through Imperial checkpoints. I think they'll still work."

"This entrance is a whole different animal." Steela butts in. "They have an X-ray scanner installed in the doorway that everyone has to go through. I would ask you to hack it, but they'll notice if you have your datapad out. You have to put it through the X-ray device anyway."

"How is that going to affect us if we travel clean?" I ask.

But Ahsoka understands. "The comms. The machine will pick up the earbuds."

"Assuming Tor has Sierra's earbud, it won't take him long to put two and two together if he finds them." Steela crosses her arms. "Also, I need to bring in my gear. And that's not an option if we're going to break her out with any kind of success."

"What kind of gear?" Lux asks.

"Rigs, screwdrivers, lockpicks, rope, things that are never going to get past security. Not in a million years. Ideas, anyone?"

"What if we stash your gear in a package and have it brought in with the mail?" Ahsoka suggests.

"They X-ray everything, even the mail." Steela rubs her temples. "Anything else? I'm half-tempted to just drive the ship through a wall like Rex says some of his brothers did."

Rex sighs. "Don't remind me. They'd had far too many drinks at 79's and when they get drunk, they acted like children."

Rex. Children.

Who can walk right past an X-ray scanner?

An idea forms in my mind.

Steela sees it.

"Uh-oh. I know that look. What are you thinking?"

I smile to myself.

"You and Rex are going to hate it, Steela."

"How about you tell me what it is first?" Rex not-really asks.

"All right. So, only little kids, the very old, and disabled people can skip the X-ray scanner. Tandin's still too young to skip the scanner, so we don't fall into any of those criteria…unless we make it happen."

"And how are you planning on doing that?"

"You see, there's another person who can't undergo the scanner…" I slide my gaze over to Steela, who's sitting next to Captain Rex.

A horrified expression comes over her face as she understands.

"Oh no."

"Oh, _yes."_ I grin wickedly.

"What?" Hutch asks, clueless.

I don't even feel bad for him when Hero, Ahsoka, and Steela all bellow _"Pregnant people!"_

Rex nearly chokes on his ration stick. "Pregnant?"

"And you, Rex," I announce, relishing every syllable, "Are going to be the father."

Katooni jumps out of her chair and rushes off to her room, coming back with a small box. For a joke, Katooni pooled her birthday and Life Day money to buy a set of fake wedding rings for Steela and Rex. Uncle Saw, Uncle Lux, and Aunt Ahsoka may have helped her with it, to perpetuate our running joke that Rex and Steela, being the last two singletons on the ship, are going to get married.

She hands the box to Rex, who opens it with a sigh and slides Steela's fake ring onto her finger.

"Rex and Steela sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."Katooni sings. "First comes _love._ Then comes _marriage._ Then comes Rex with the baby carriage!"

Steela facepalms, unwittingly showing off her ring. "Guys, seriously. Rex and I are not-."

"Ever going to leave each other's sides?" Hero jokes.

Rex looks at Steela. "Steela, you are a wonderful person, but I have no romantic feelings toward you."

"Same on this end!" Steela says, and shakes his hand.

I clasp my hand over my heart. "Wounded! I thought I would walk you down the aisle. I thought there would be little Gerreras running around and I would be an uncle."

"You ARE an uncle." Everyone says.

"And they wouldn't be Gerreras." Hero says. "They'd be…um…"

"Gerreras." Ahsoka clarifies. "Clones take on the civilian's surname. So Rex would be Rex Gerrera."

"No, he will not!" Steela and Rex shout in unison.

"Look, their speech is synchronized!"

Steela fumes. "Well, since it's our only option, I guess I'd better get that fake pregnancy belly in order, shouldn't I?" she mutters under her breath.

"Take good care of my niece or nephew, Stee. They're our only chance at getting Sierra out alive."

 **A/N: Poor Rex and Steela. Their friends ship them way too hard.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, and a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	8. K-I-S-S-I-N-G

**CHAPTER EIGHT – K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

 **SIERRA**

What's worse?

Could it be the cold, un-deflected by my shirt, which makes my fingers and toes burn with cold? If there was enough light, I bet I could see my own breath.

If the cold wins, the siren isn't a distant second.

When I first saw the speaker, I assumed it was there to listen in on what I said and did. When Tor left, I directed my attention up to it and said something Lux said when he thought I couldn't hear.

Here is the clean version: _Hello, Imperial friends! I would really rather not be visiting you today, but I'm rather impressed with how well the air conditioning is working. A judge would love to hear about all of this. As soon as I manage to get a message over to my friends, they shall locate you and cause you great bodily harm!_

A few seconds after I finished spitting out the last sentence, the speaker showed its other function when it spit out a high-pitched whistle sharp as needles.

I wish I could cover my ears, but it would be very useful if my hands weren't cuffed behind my back. I can only tuck my chin to my chest, but that does nothing to muffle the sound.

My head is pounding with the siren's squeal. I can't feel my toes. All I can do is pray that I'll go deaf.

Suddenly, the siren shuts off. I lift my chin to look at the speaker, half-expecting lasers to come out of it.

The silence is absolute, deafening. My ears ring.

And then the door opens.

Tor walks in, holding the thermometer.

"Good morning."

 _It's morning? How long have I been here?_

He kneels in front of me and deftly switches the thermometer on to put in my ear. When he reaches out to take ahold of my face I pull my head back, teeth bared.

"This doesn't have to be so difficult." Tor grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head to the side, stuffing the thermometer in my ear. "All I want is a temperature."

"You already have it!"

"I need your current temperature. You have to check more than once, make sure you aren't getting sick."

The thermometer beeps. Tor pulls it out, still not releasing my hair.

"Well look at that," he marvels. "You've gone down a whole degree. Now aren't you glad I checked?"

I don't answer. Tor turns the thermometer so I can see the readout.

"Ninety six point four."

Even if I couldn't see it, I believe it. I've never felt colder in my life.

Tor gathers my hair behind my head in a ponytail, his fingers brushing against my neck followed quickly by something cold, something metal.

A split second later there's a _shick_ , and Tor holds a good six inches of my hair in his hands.

"I'm sorry," he says. "But it's necessary. You know at what temperature hypothermia sets in, right?" I glare at him and he ignores me. "The diagnosis comes into effect when your temperature hits ninety-five degrees. You're a degree away."

"So?" I snap, even though my little Shoulder Angel and Shoulder Devil are fretting _Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. This is bad, Sierra!_

"I'm sure your father told you what happens to a hypothermic person. Slurred speech, loss of coordination, poor decision-making. Eventually, you're going to go into a coma and die."

 _Dad may not have gone into details, but Mom and Ahsoka sure did. He's right._

 _Then again, when it comes to ways to die, hypothermia's not a bad way to go. It doesn't hurt; you just fall asleep._

"We won't let that happen right away, of course." Tor stays, dashing the hope of going to sleep and waking up in heaven. "Your dad probably didn't fill you in on interrogation rooms, but I'll give you the grand tour."

My face flushes and I yank my face away. "My dad _never_ tortured someone. He wouldn't! Not Ahsoka, not any of the clones, _no one!"_

Tor's face crunches. "You little -."

I don't hear the rest of it because the sound of his slap drowns out the word.

With half my face white-hot and the rest of my body freezing, Tor stalks out of the cell, my hair in his hand.

"Ninety-six point four, Sierra. Clock's ticking." He announces, slamming the cell door.

The siren starts back up in about two seconds.

 **STEELA**

Mina leans around from behind me, meeting my gaze in the mirror. "Steela, you have to hold still for me."

"Do you think it looks realistic enough?" I ask. "Shouldn't it be a little smaller?"

Ahsoka points to Tavin, snoozing against her chest. "You remember when I was pregnant with him, right?"

"Yeah, your belly was a lot smaller than _this!"_

A smile plays at Mina's lips. "Ahsoka's belly didn't stick out as much because she carried towards the back of the womb, and she was so muscular already. But that won't happen for a skinny-Minnie like you."

Internally, I groan. "Hey Hero, you're supposed to be guarding the door."

Ahsoka and Mina are here to make sure the fake belly is realistic. Hero's here to guard the door, on account of I'm walking around in my underwear. ("Sorry Steela, but your clothes won't fit over it.")

"I never realized how small of a frame you have." Mina notes, fastening the fake belly's snaps behind me. "Okay, Steela. How does that fit?"

I walk around, trying to get used to the unwieldy thing strapped to me. The fake pregnancy belly is a hollow contraption made of wire and some rags which holds our gear and will hopefully sneak Rex and me past security. As Hero put it later, Tor's not looking for a pregnant woman or a soon-to-be-dad.

"It feels weird."

"Your center of gravity is off." Ahsoka and Mina say in unison.

"Hey, you guys staged into this. Steela got thrown into it right off the bat." Hero says. "But seeing this, I'm _very_ glad I adopted my kid. That bolo-ball-under-the-shirt look just wouldn't suit me. But it looks great on Steela!"

"Very funny, Hero."

"I'm serious. You should wear this more often. Or better yet, you should marry Rex and -."

"I'm not going to marry Rex!" I cry for the third time since we started to make my fake belly. Yes, I have been counting.

"I've got those old maternity clothes," Ahsoka says, holding out a bundle.

"Halleluiah." I mutter, grabbing the pants and slipping them on, grateful to no longer be practically prancing around in my underwear.

Hero snickers. "Don't forget your shoes."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I reach down to put on my boots when…I am stopped.

I try to maneuver. No dice. I look down to see if I can get a better angle.

I can't see my feet. All I can see is the fake belly, which pushes Ahsoka's pink maternity shirt out so far it swallows the view of my lower half.

"Guys, a little help?"

I know I'm not going to get any from Hero. Ahsoka and Mina are out as well, they're too busy laughing.

Oh. Now I see what Ahsoka and Hero are doing. Getting Mina to laugh at me is good. She needs to take a break from the awful situation for a few minutes.

But back to the task at hand: how do I get these boots on? As for the laces, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I sit down and try to put the boots on. Nothing.

"Any suggestions, Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka wipes her eyes. "When I was that pregnant, I had Lux do it for me."

 _Of course. Of course Lux had to put her shoes on and tie the laces._

 _I know what she wants me to do. Remember, it's all to help Mina calm down._

I walk into the hallway, my boots in hand.

"Rex, I need a favor."

….

Rex kneels in front of me, guiding my feet into my boots like Prince Charming. I, the not-so-lovely Cinderella incarnate, sit on the couch while he puts on the first boot, ties the laces, then moves on to the second.

"He even double-knotted them." Saw points out. "He doesn't want his wife and baby to trip."

"SAW!"

"I didn't want to tie them again." Rex explains.

"I don't want you to tie them again either."

"You two are really cute." Katooni says.

Tandin makes a sound like "Hmpf!" He's as thrilled about this job as Rex and I are.

"Do you want to be the flower girl at their wedding?" Hero whispers to Katooni at a volume she thinks I can't hear. I let it go.

"All right, let's get this done." I grumble, and try to stand up.

But the fake belly gods laugh down on me. _Steela you fool,_ they seem to snicker, _Did you really think we wouldn't make you defy the laws of physics again?_

The effort it takes to get out of the chair feels like all the crunches in the world. Maybe more. Luckily for me, Rex takes my hand to help me get up.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Saw pretends to blot his eyes. "I think I'm tearing up."

Rex sighs. "Come on, Steela. Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get you out of that thing."

 **HERO**

"Remind me why we're here again." Katooni asks as she pushes the shopping cart.

I select a few potatoes and put them in the cart. "We still need groceries, and since I do most of the cooking I have to pick them out."

"Why can't we make Saw do it?"

"Because Saw never picks out the right things. Now do you want apples or pears?"

Katooni glances around the store. "Can we get oranges?"

"Sure. Pick out eight or nine, Hutch loves them. We have lemons on the list too and they're in the bin right next to the oranges."

"How many do you want?"

"Three big ones. Make sure they're not squishy."

I go back to the potatoes, trying to remember if we have enough blue milk and butter to make mashed potatoes.

"Katooni, do you like mashed-?"

"Matthew? _Matthew!?"_

A frantic woman darts through the produce aisle, shouting the name. I glance around the store for any kids by themselves, anyone who could be this Matthew.

"Kat, do you see any kids by…"

Katooni isn't at the orange bin.

"Katooni?" I crane my neck to see if she's done to the lemons. Or the bananas. Or the pears – please Katooni, be with the pears!

"Katooni?"

Not with the fruit, or the veggies, not at the display advertising taffy apples.

A sick feeling rises up inside me.

 _"KATOONI!"_

 **A/N: Uh-oh… That, also, is not good. Not good at all! Poor Katooni, and poor Hero too.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics for your review. In response to something proposed: The Rex/Steela ship will not sail in this story, not if Rex and Steela have anything to say about it! (The rest of the crew, on the other hand…)**

 **Speaking of reviews, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the review box below!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	9. Amber Alert

**CHAPTER NINE – AMBER ALERT**

 **HERO**

"Excuse me, have you seen a little girl? She's Tholothian, and she was in a purple shirt."

The lady shakes her head, keeping an eye on her own kids with one eye. _Why didn't I do that?_

"I haven't seen any kids by themselves."

"Are you sure?" She's only ten years old, I just adopted her a few months ago!"

The woman glances down at my ring finger. "Look, have the management call her on the intercom. Then call your husband and ask him if he knows anywhere she might have wandered off to. Sometimes, little girls don't tell their mamas everything."

I nod and take off down the aisle. As much as my instincts scream at me to, I know in my heart I can't report Katooni missing. The management will call the police, and it'll all be over. I just have to keep looking.

No Kattoni at the bakery. No Katooni in the grocery section. Not in the makeup aisle, or the kid's clothes, the candy counter, the bathrooms.

Nobody's seen her. She's not answering her comlink, _she's not here._

I barely make it to the bathrooms before I get sick.

 **HUTCH**

My comlink rings and I answer it without looking.

"Hey babe, what's -?"

 _"I CAN'T FIND KATOONI!"_ Hero screams.

"W-what?"

 _"I can't find Katooni! We're in Super Shop and Stop and I turned around for one second and she's gone!"_

I swallow my panic and say "Did you try calling her?"

 _"Yes! And she's not in the bathroom."_

"Did you try the game and book aisles?"

 _"Yes."_

"Did you check the girls' clothing department? She needs new clothes and she knows it."

 _"I checked everywhere. Hutch, she's not here!"_

I sit down in front of my computer again. "Hero, which Super Shop and Stop are you in?"

As Hero blubbers out the address, Lux walks in.

"Hutch, what are you doing?"

"Hero can't find Katooni in the store. I'm going to pull up the security footage and track her comlink. It should only take a few minutes."

Lux nods. "Can I help with anything?"

"Yeah, can you get everyone and ask if there's something Katooni wanted to get at the store?" I ask, pressing into the store's firewalls and bringing up the security footage up on the screen.

Come on, where's Katooni? Most of the customers are humans, a Tholothian kid should stick out like a sore thumb!

But she's not on any of the monitors.

Using my comlink, I quickly activate the homing beacon for Katooni's comlink and walk out of the room. "Hero, I'm coming over to the store now. Katooni's comlink is still in the building."

Lux gets into the cockpit and we fly over to the store, fielding questions from Ahsoka.

"What's happening?"

"We're just helping Hero find Katooni. Where are Rex and Steela?"

"They're still doing the gear drop. They have to find a good place to hide it and then they can get out."

"Tell them to meet us here. We probably will still be here when they get done. Hero, where are you?"

 _"In the kids' clothes."_ Hero sniffs.

I look down at my comlink. "Meet us out front. Katooni's homing beacon is still active."

 _"Oh, thank God."_

As we walk into the store's main entrance, Hero almost knocks me over.

"Thank God," she repeats, hugging me. "She's been gone for twenty minutes. I swear I only turned around for a second, and she was gone. Just gone!"

"Don't worry," I say, lifting my comlink so I can see it over her shoulder. "The homing beacon says Katooni's right down the aisle."

I look over Hero's shoulder in the direction Katooni is supposed to be.

And there's no little Tholothian girl.

"Hutch…" Ahsoka says.

"She's probably behind an endcap," I say desperately. Because there are no kids in the aisle, but there are a few endcaps and a trash can.

I walk closer, with every step knowledge balling in my stomach.

I dial Katooni's comm number, and wait, praying I don't hear the ringtone, praying that she'll answer, praying that this isn't happening, this isn't happening.

The trash can rings.

Hero's and my screams split the air.

 **STEELA**

"And the plan is?"

Rex steps just a little closer to me. "First rule of going undercover: when in doubt, copy someone else." He says. "In our case, that's Lux and Ahsoka."

That means I get to eat innumerable sweets. Oh, I'm starting to like this assignment more and more…

Just then, a speeder almost runs into me. Rex grabs my arm just in time.

"Hey! Lady with a baby!" he yells, shaking his fist at the driver.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see some pedestrians looking at us.

"It's alright, uh, honey." I deadpan, digging my nails into Rex's arm.

He gets the message. "Let's just get in. Security is straight ahead, remember to take off your jacket."

He leaves out the part where he'll have to take off my shoes and put them back on because I can't see my feet.

Someone holds the main door for us (staring at my belly) and Rex and I proceed to the security checkpoint.

"Right this way," An officer says, pointing to the heat scanner.

A stroke of panic hits me in the chest. "I'm sorry, but I can't go through- ."

"Oh, don't worry Mama." The security officer says, apparently referring to me. "That's just for your husband. We have somebody to pat you down over there."

Rex unties my boots and places them in a bin. He goes into the heat scanner while a female guard pats me down.

"When are you due?" she asks.

A mental picture of Ahsoka in each of her months flashes by me. "Uh, about a month. Do you have kids?" I ask, desperate for small talk to ease the awkwardness and terror that she'll discover the belly is fake.

She nods. "Three."

Mercifully, she doesn't find the fake belly and Rex and I practically dance through the rest of security.

"Okay, let me hide the gear in the vent of the ladies' room." I whisper. "Then we're out of -."

 _"Rex, Steela, get back to the ship now!"_

It's Ahsoka, not Hutch on the comm this time. Her voice leaves no room for negotiation. I speed-walk over to the ladies' room and lock myself in a stall, taking out my screwdriver to take off the vent covers.

"Ahsoka, what's going on?" I whisper, stuffing the gear into the vent shaft and screwing the cover back on.

 _"It's bad,"_ she says. _"Hero's hysterical. Hutch is trying to calm her down so I'm stuck doing his job and I don't know what I'm doing. Tandin is working with them, Mina is crying in her room, I don't even_ know _where Saw is, and Lux pacing while writing-."_

"Ahsoka! Breathe and count to ten. What happened?"

Ahsoka takes a deep breath. _"It's Katooni. She's been kidnapped."_

 **AHSOKA**

"Hero? Hero, I know this is hard, but do you remember what Katooni was wearing?" Tandin asks, glancing down at his datapad.

Hero sniffs. "A purple shirt with white polka dots, the one Hutch and I got her for Life Day," she chokes on the name of the holiday. "A-and b-blue jeans with her b-boots."

"I have her height." Hutch says numbly, hugging Hero. "It's the tallest pencil line on our door frame. We wanted to watch her grow. She's four foot eleven."

"I should have held her hand." Hero whimpers, and hugs Hutch even tighter. "I should have known that lady wasn't really looking for a lost kid!"

"Hero, the kidnappers used a ruse that any parent with a soul would fall for." I say. "I would have done the same thing."

"What are they doing to her?" Hero bawls. "I know more stuff than her. I have more intel. Why didn't they go after _me?"_

Well I know that answer: Katooni is force-sensitive. People like Barriss are chomping at the bit to make her an Inquisitor.

Inquisitor Katooni. It makes me feel sick.

Tandin finishes writing down Katooni's description. "I'll send this to Senator Organa. The Rebel Alliance will keep an eye out for her."

"We have to get her out." Hero implores.

Lux stiffens. "We at least know they want her alive. Sierra, on the other hand, is going to die!"

"Lux-."

"What, Ahsoka?"

"Lux, if the Inquisition gets ahold of Katooni, then she is going to be gone forever. We have to save her before they get away."

Lux's jaw sets. "I'm not leaving."

"Lux," Steela says. "It's what Sierra would want."

Lux wheels on her, apparently getting the same sense of déjà vu I am.

"You might have abandoned Saw, but I am _not_ throwing _my_ sister to the wolves!"

Steela jumps to her feet and Saw finds it necessary to grab her arm.

"I love her too, and I'm not abandoning her." Steela shoots back. "It's called triage. Katooni's in more trouble so we have to save her first. Tor is at least going to keep Sierra in the same place."

Lux snorts and turns away, apparently wanting Steela out of his sight.

"One thing's for sure. We can't get into either place by ourselves." she says. "He knows our MO. We need new blood, allies."

"Who?" Sierra's probably close to putty in Tor's hands by now. "Tor knows who we would contact."

Rex clears his throat.

"We need someone who we haven't worked with. Who is not a friend. Who Sierra would never think to contact." He says. "And we need them now."

 **A/N: Is it even possible for the rebels to land in more trouble? At this point they're already down two crew members, but at least there will be reinforcements.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics for your review. Speaking of reviews, please, please leave your thought in the review box on your way out! They really do help on the motivational end of writing.**

 **In addition, anyone who can guess the friends that the rebels will be bringing in will get an internet cookie. Good luck to you all!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	10. We Hunt Down Our Frenemies

**CHAPTER TEN – WE HUNT DOWN OUR FRENEMIES**

Tracking down Ahsoka's "friend" is far harder than she thought.

The last place she'd seen her was on Coruscant, and there's no way she's going to set foot in the center of the Empire. With two team members gone, she can't afford to risk anything.

Instead, she walks into the nearest cantina, nurses a jawa juice, and listens.

The bounties flash by on the wall. Imperial turncoats, clone deserters, common criminals, people on the wrong end of vendettas, to her amusement she even spots Saw.

Just to be safe, she takes Saw's bounty off the projector. Then she walks out of the cantina and back toward the ship.

Lux passes her by in the hallway. "Did you find her?"

"She's still active. That's a start, at least. Where's Tav?"

"With Mom."

That's good. Ahsoka doesn't need a baby to deal with while she contacts this person.

In her and Lux's room, she punches a series of numbers into the holoprojector, crossing her fingers the cantina bartender was right about it.

 _"Hello?"_ a familiar, snakelike voice answers.

Ahsoka decides to cut the pleasantries.

"Ventress, I need a favor."

 _"Tano?"_ Ventress queries. Before Ahsoka can open her mouth, Ventress corrects herself. _"That's right, you married the senator. What kind of favor is it, Bonteri?"_

"A job. Two weeks. Lots of credits."

The holoprojector's image turns on, revealing Ventress sitting on a chair with a bottle of something.

 _"Really? Now why would someone like you need the likes of me?"_

Ahsoka puffs out. "Let's leave the details for briefing. Until then, let's focus on a hundred thousand credits."

…

"You're late."

Ironically, the first thing she said to him in person.

"I'm sorry," Lux says, sliding into the cantina stool. "I hope it isn't too much of an inconvenience."

Bo-Katan Kryze knocks back a shot. "Make it quick, Bonteri."

Lux lays two photographs on the table, pushing each one forward in turn.

"This is my friend's kid. And _this_ is our crew's grifter."

Bo glances at the pictures. "Grifter, huh?" she asks, tapping Sierra's picture. "She doesn't look like Nite Owl material."

Lux couldn't agree more. "She serves her purpose."

Bo faces him square on. "Now, why are you showing me this?"

"I'm here to offer you a job. Help me get my crew back, and I'll pay you handsomely."

"Get them back? Where are they?"

"Torrance."

Bo almost physically recoils. "Tor?"

Lux nods.

"No way. I'm not letting my ne – my crew anywhere near Tor."

"Six figures. I promise."

"Last time, you weren't very good at keeping your promises," Bo says, voice icy as the referenced Carlaac.

"That was a long time ago."

"Seems like yesterday." Bo says, standing up.

"Please," Lux begs, holding up Sierra's picture. "I'll double the reward. One of them is my little sister!"

Bo stops, thinks, and sighs. "How old?"

"Sixteen," he takes a risk. "Her name is Sierra."

Bo makes a face. Maybe it's because of Satine, her younger sister. Maybe it's because Korkie's been bugging her about a new job. Mostly, it's about all those credits.

"Fine," she says. "Six figures. No less."

….

 _"Let's get one thing very, very clear."_ Saw Gerrera says. _"I hate you. I hate you with all the burning passion of my soul."_

"But you still called me, eh?"Hondo Ohnaka announces, leaning back in his chair and regarding the four rebels in the hologram. Saw Gerrera, a man and a woman he doesn't recognize, and another woman he remembers well. Very well, actually…

"How are you doing, my favorite spice?"

Steela Gerrera opens her mouth, undoubtedly to say something snippy, but Saw jumps in front of her.

 _"She's married. To a clone captain."_

Steela glares at her brother while Hondo processes the information. Really, he didn't see the girl as the type to settle down with a clone captain…

But ah, such is life, is it not? There will be other lovely ladies.

"Congratulations, my dear! But you all didn't contact Hondo just to make small talk, did you now?"

 _"No,"_ the other woman says testily. _"We're here because you helped us in the past. We need you again."_

Hondo looks at the rest of his men behind him. "Now, what's in it for me?"

 _"Credits,"_ Saw says. _"A little revenge. And a chance to help out a friend."_

That may genuinely confuse Hondo, but he wouldn't dare say. "A friend? Which friend would that be?"

The woman holds up a photograph, a photograph Hondo immediately recognizes.

"The tiny Jedi."

 _"She's been kidnapped. You help us get her back, and we have thousands of credits just waiting for you."_ The woman baits.

The deal had pretty much clinched for Hondo when she said "thousands of credits," but there was one more thing he had to know.

"And how do you know of the tiny Jedi, young lady?"

The woman's jaw sets. _"Her name is Katooni St. James."_ She says. _"I'm her mother."_

 **AHSOKA**

The people gathered in our ship's space have two things in common.

I've met up with all of them at one point of another. Secondly, they all really want a hundred thousand credits.

Ventress was the first to arrive. When she walked up to the ship, Saw answered the door. Instead of a "Nice to meet you, Ventress," he decided to greet her with a blaster. Ventress didn't take it that well.

Luckily Steela and I heard the racket and came running to smooth things over before someone (read: Saw) died. We probably got there just in time.

Next up is Hondo, who made a very memorable entrance. When Rex opened the door for him, he walked right past him with his arms open.

"Never fear, Hondo is here! Now, let's get down to saving the tiny Jedi and getting lots of credits, yes?"

I expected no less from him.

Last to arrive were the Mandalorians. Lux drove the speeder holding Bo-Katan and a few of her crew members.

When she first spots me, Bo-Katan smirks.

"You married Skinny?"

…Yes. Yes, he married Skinny.

Lux rolls his eyes. "Yes, Ahsoka and I married a few years ago."

The speeder empties out. Bo-Katan, a young man and a young woman. Who are very familiar.

The young man nods to me. "Ahsoka,"

"Korkie. It's good to see you again."

The woman next to him, Soniee, lifts her holo glasses from her eyes. "Hello, Ahsoka."

"Hi, Soniee. How are you?"

Soniee grunts and lifts a bag of what I'm assuming is computer gear from the speeder. "I'm all right. Yourself?"

"I could be better. I see you've met my husband."

Soniee nods. "He's very nice."

We walk them into the common room, praying that it hasn't exploded. By the will of the force, it has not. Saw is rubbing his neck, still sore over the beating he got from Ventress. Steela is attempting to make small talk with Ventress, but neither of them are great masters of small talk. Hondo is regaling his pirate adventures to Rex and Tandin.

"I helped the tiny Jedi defeat General Grievous!" Hondo says in a rather embellished version of the truth. "The children seemed to take a shine to me."

Rex rolls his eyes. _He_ knows the real story.

I clear my throat.

"This is our team, Asajj Ventress, and Hondo Ohnaka." I say, nodding to the two outliers.

Steela waves at Soniee, apparently detecting a better chance at small talk. "Steela Gerrera," she says, pointing to herself.

"I'm Soniee," Soniee introduces herself, and then points to Korkie. "This is my boyfriend Korkie. Which one of you is Hutch?"

Hutch looks up from Hero, who's currently a ball of sadness curled in on herself. "That would be me. You're the other hacker, I take it?"

Soniee nods. "Korkie here is the planner."

Lux nods tersely. "He'll be working with me. Soniee, this is Hutch St. James, the guy you really don't want to check you out at the Reddy Mart."

No kidding there. Hutch's first hacking experiences were on his cash register at Reddy Mart. In fact, his exploits have earned him the nickname "Cashier from Hell."

Korkie, Soniee, and Bo take a seat, and Hutch stands up from Hero's side to run the slideshow he created for the briefing.

I stand at the front of the room.

"Whoever contacted you initially has gone over the basics of what's happened, as well as settled your fees." I say, signaling Hutch to start the briefing.

Sierra's and Katooni's pictures pop up behind me.

"The girl on the left is Sierra Bonteri, the group's grifter. She was taken into custody by the Empire when her alias fell apart."

"How did that happen?" Korkie asks.

"Every alias has a weak point. The Empire found hers, and it unraveled from there." Hutch says.

Soniee nods. "Most marks only check for a high school transcript, but the students who were actually in that graduating class wouldn't remember the alias because they didn't exist."

"That's almost exactly what happened." Hutch says. "Moving on. On the right is Katooni St. James." His lip wobbles. "My daughter. She was abducted from a grocery store twelve hours ago."

Hero sobs. Mina rubs her back in a circle.

"We think Katooni was taken for the Inquisition." I say. "Assuming her kidnappers are taking her straight to Mustafar, we don't have much time."

"So are we dividing to go after the kid's sister and the little Jedi at once?" Bo asks.

I bite my lip. "No. We're going to rescue Katooni first, then double back and rescue Sierra. Hopefully, our absence will lull Tor into a false sense of security and he might make a mistake."

Hondo nearly chokes. _"Tor?_ Do you mean Commander Torrance?"

"You know him?"

"I have, how do you say… done business with him a few times."

"For what?" I ask.

Hondo shrugs. "Spice."

Spice. _Wonderful._ I can think of all the uses for various "spices" in interrogation: halluciogenens, sedatives, uppers… all of them can break a prisoner like a twig.

So Sierra is inexperienced, being mistreated, and probably high as a kite. I wouldn't be surprised if Tor knew everything down to what we had for breakfast the day she was taken.

"Both of them need help." Tandin says. "Or they will die. They'll die awful, painful deaths and there's no way we can divide ourselves to get them both out at once."

"So what are you saying? That we _let one die?"_ Mina cries.

"No," Tandin hastens. "Not at all. We're going to save them, we just need…"

He trails off. "If we go after Katooni, we need someone who will take care of Sierra. Someone who isn't afraid of Tor."

In short, we need John Bonteri. And we're not going to get someone like him.

Bo-Katan snorts. "You want a guardian angel?"

"Basically," I say.

"Then make one." She says. "How old's the girl?"

"Sixteen." Mina says forlornly.

"Age of majority for humans is eighteen. I know a place."

"Will they help us?"

"They're the galaxy's greatest busybodies. I know they'll help us."

 **A/N: Does anyone have any guesses as to who "the galaxy's greatest busybodies?" could be? If you do, internet cookies for you.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics for your review. When people review, it helps me to know what I'm doing well and what I need to improve on, which helps me create better stories for you guys. So, it's kind of a mutually beneficial thing. Please leave your thoughts in the review box in the way out.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	11. To Protect and Serve

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – TO PROTECT AND SERVE**

 _"Child protective services. How can I assist you?"_

Lux grips the comlink. "I'm calling to report an abused child in Institution B," he says. "She's being starved, frozen, and drugged."

 _"Sir, are you talking about Commander Torrance's facility?"_

"Yes. You need to hurry. The girl is a human sixteen-year-old with dark hair, and she doesn't have much time."

….

"There must be some mistake." Tor says, keeping pace with the CPS agents. "Some of my employees bring their kids here after school, and we have teenage interns. The men were playing a birthday prank on one of the boys and it got a little loud. That must have been it."

The female CPS agent doesn't believe it. "Our tip specified a girl," she says "If you wouldn't mind opening the cells…"

"Of course," Tor concedes, hand inching toward the controller for the siren.

The female agent walks toward Sierra's cell, and Tor shuts off the siren. No doubt the brat is staring at the ceiling in confusion, wondering why he stopped the noise.

Unless she's collapsed from stress and exhaustion.

The male agent looks at Tor with a raised eyebrow.

"Just had to shut off the deadbolt so she can open the door." He lies. "Ma'am, I'd be wary before doing that. These prisoners are very-."

The woman opens the door.

"Maxwell!"

…..

"Who is she?" The male agent, Maxwell, barks, helping his partner lift Sierra out of the cell.

Having realized it's time for Plan B, Tor grabs Sierra's chart from the wall.

"Her name is Annie Bennet." He lies. "She's in here for fraud."

The girl's exhausted, her coordination is poor, and Tor knows she can't walk. He hands the chart to the female agent and takes Sierra. "I'll handle her. She's in my facility after all."

As he carries Sierra, he presses his lips to her ear.

"Wake up. Do you see what I have here?"

In his hand is a driver's license for someone named Cesar Garrity. And it has Lux's picture.

"There are more just like this one. You tell these agents anything, and he's cooked."

 **SIERRA**

I'll give Tor one thing: he's a very good actor.

"How could something like this happen?" he asks emphatically.

"Kids freeze faster, especially the little ones." The CPS woman says. "Her core temperature is very, very low. How long has she been in?"

"A day and a half."

 _A day and a half? That's it? It feels like years._

Maxwell the CPS agent glances down at the thermometer readout. "She's rebounding. Kids are resilient like that. All she needs is some warmth and sleep."

Sleep. Did I actually sleep? I can still hear the siren screaming in my head.

"You! Find out what's wrong with the heat." Tor orders someone. "I want this girl in the Med Bay. Who could have done this?"

I hate him. I hate him for using my craft against me. I hate him for what he did to my dad, to Ahsoka three years ago, and what he's doing to me right now. How Child Protective Services managed to find me is nothing less than a miracle. If I had to guess, I'd say Dad's spirit is at work.

The female agent presses her hand against mine. "She's not so terribly cold now. Annie, can you hear me?"

Is she talking to me?

"Annie? Annie Bennet! Wake up, sweetheart."

 _Annie Bennet?_ That's the first alias Hutch made for me, when we rigged an auction to steal our ship! Of course Tor would register me under an alias.

Of _course_ he would.

"She's back," Maxwell announces. "That must have brought her around."

The woman looks at him and while his gaze is diverted, Tor flashes Lux's Cesar Garrity ID.

"Good," she says. "Annie, Max and I are from Child Protective Services. We received a tip saying you were in trouble. How do you feel?"

I shudder.

"Maxwell, get the kid a blanket, will you? And is that food tray here yet?"

Tor opens a cupboard and tosses a white blanket to the female agent. "We can arrange to have her nourished through an IV." He suggests.

"She's strong enough to swallow. Hot food will do her good." The CPS woman says. "Commander Torrance, who was responsible for her?"

"Some guards who will soon be facing disciplinary action." Tor says, "I assure you, this will be fixed. I'm transferring her to my personal supervision as soon as she's done here."

Maxwell lays the blanket over me. "Annie, is that all right with you?"

 _My name isn't Annie! And Tor is the one doing this to me. Please, please figure out that Tor is the one doing this, that if you don't stop him he's going to kill me!_

What do Imperials do to kids like me? They put them in orphanages.

 _Please take me to an orphanage. There, I at least stand a chance. Just get me out of here!_

But I can still see that ID in Tor's fingers, the same one that came off the printer in the ship and Rex held up to the red lightbulb to see if it was done.

"Yes," I say numbly.

Tor slides the ID up his jacket sleeve, smiling at me.

"All right, Annie. Just sleep now. We'll bring you your food in a minute."

 **THIRD PERSON**

Three years ago, Tor walked down to the cell blocks to check on Ahsoka Tano's well-being. John Bonteri had gone home for the day, but Cooper was kneeling before the girl, spoon feeding her a cup of warm water.

"Cooper, what is this?" Tor demanded. "We do not spoon feed prisoners!"

Cooper froze and looked at Tor incredulously. "Sir, she is sick, sir."

"We're guards, not babysitters! You bring the tray in, you take it out if they don't touch it. Understood?"

"Understood," Cooper said glumly, muttering "You're a jerk" under his breath.

"WHAT?" Tor roared, a vein nearly popping out of his forehead.

"SIR YES SIR!"

He can't help but remember it while he watches a nurse spoon feed Sierra. Initially she was supposed to feed herself, but she almost dropped the spoon and tray.

Tor glances at her vital signs. They may be better but if he had to hazard a guess, she's still very cold and shaky. The cooling system works wonders when one removes the safety shutoff.

"Annie, is something wrong?"

It would be so much easier if these Child Protective Services agents weren't so nosy. _Or_ if they directed questions at him, and not at Sierra.

Sierra swallows hard. "My chest feels strange."

The nurse glances up at the monitor, then sticks several pads onto the left side of Sierra's chest, under her shirt.

"Hang on, honey." She says, tweaking a few controls on a datapad. An EKG pops up on the holoscreen.

"Low blood sugar's messing with her heart. A meal should fix it but we should take her into the Med Bay just to be safe, since she can feel it."

"Of course," Tor says through gritted teeth, trying his hardest to ignore the ghost of triumph on Sierra's face.

Ugh. He should have known better: the girl's job is fraud, she'd know how to lie.

He follows as they wheel her into the med bay, put her back in bed, hook her up to monitors and feed her. Every moment she's pampered, it undoes some of what he's worked so hard for.

The second CPS leaves, he's going to make her wish she was never born.

….

Sierra stalls for as long as she can, but when her scans and bloodwork come back clear the medical droid writes her a clean bill of health.

"I think that closes our business here," Maxwell says. "Annie, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Sierra is emboldened, and Tor knows it. He makes sure she can see the flash of the ID again.

"No," she says, scared into submission again.

"Take care of her, Commander Torrance," the female agent says. "Goodbye, Annie."

Tor escorts them to the door.

"I have a place prepared for her already. I don't think you'll be getting any more calls." He says as they walk through the door. "Have a nice day."

When their speeder pulls out, he raises his comlink.

"Get the girl in interrogation!"

Tor opens the interrogation room door, greeted with the sight of Sierra Bonteri secured to the chair with a sneer on her face.

"Annie Bennet, huh?"

"We have to keep those nosy agents out of our business somehow, don't we?" he snaps. "Speaking of agents…"

Tor leans over her. "How did you manage to call them?"

Sierra swallows hard. "I didn't. I don't know how they found out I was here."

Tor pulls his lips back in a ghost of a smile.

"I know you didn't, my dear. Your friends certainly are resourceful, finding someone else to take care of you while they went off to take care of their own business." He steps back and sits in his desk chair, far more comfortable than the one she's strapped to.

"Three hundred thousand. That's a lot of credits." He says. "Enough to make anyone abandon a rescue mission."

The flicker of doubt in her face tells him he's picked the right chord to play.

Children are filled with fear, after all. Especially someone whose parents were taken and whose brother has left her alone twice so he could join a terrorist group and a rebellion.

Tor picks up a vibroblade from the table, then sets it down.

There are other ways to torment her.

Much, much better ones.

 **A/N: Sierra may have gotten a break, but it wasn't a very long one. And now Tor is angry.**

 **The next chapter will focus on the rest of the rebels and their shenanigans. Hopefully, it will be funny enough to take your minds off this…darker chapter.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics for your review! And speaking of those, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	12. We Steal StarChucks

**CHAPTER TWELVE – WE STEAL STARCHUCKS**

" _Starbucks says they are going to start putting religious quotes on cups. The first one will say 'Jesus! This cup is expensive!"_

 _-Conan O'Brien_

Hutch St. James leans back in his seat, rubbing his eyes.

"Okay," he says. "Soniee and I have been poring over prisoner manifests for a few hours now, and it looks like Tor checked Sierra into his prison under one of her aliases, Annie Bennet. Only reason I can guess that he'd do that is to throw us off when we're looking for her."

"What about Katooni?" Hero asks.

Hutch sighs. "That's where I'm hitting a brick wall. I can't find her name, any variations of her name, or any of her aliases. Anywhere!"

Hero's finger runs down the screen, as if her touch could unlock which name is hiding Katooni.

"It's hopeless." Hutch mopes.

Hero snaps to attention.

"Hopeless?" she cries. _"You're Hutch St. James!_ You hacked from a cash register at the Reddy Mart when you were seventeen! You've hunted down Lazaruses. You've created fake multi-million credit corporations."

"Yeah…"

She leans in very close. "And you married me."

Probably the most difficult thing he's ever done…

"Not just any man could marry Hero Calvert, and don't you _ever_ forget it. You're awesome. You're incredible. You're Hutch St. James!"

Hutch blinks. "Yeah…I'm Hutch St. James!"

He hammers the keyboard. "If she's not under her name, then she's probably under species…aha!"

He zeroes in on the search result. "An order for nutrition for a Tholothian kid just went out. It's got to be her, there are no prior orders."

"Who has her?" Hero cries.

"I'm sending the name to Ahsoka right now!"

 **AHSOKA**

"You're saying you found Katooni?" I ask.

Hutch nods. "There's only one Inquisitor ordering food for a Tholothian. We know they want to keep her alive; that means they have to feed her."

"Which Inquisitor is it?" Lux asks.

Hutch lowers his voice. "Barriss Offee."

I blink. "Barriss?"

Hero shudders. Maybe it's not a good time to go into how awful Barriss is.

"Where is she?"

"I'm working on it, but I can't get through her firewalls."

On the other side of the room, Soniee clears her throat. "Barriss Offee may have been prepared for Onderonian jungle madness, but her systems couldn't handle Mandalorian hacking." She says. "She has Katooni under lock and key in an old temple. Construction records say it's in the process of being converted to a training center."

"That doesn't make any sense. Barriss wouldn't set up shop in a building that's under construction."

Soniee's eyes widen. "I think I found out why. The building in question is within walking distance of a StarChucks."

"Excuse me. Did I just hear _StarChucks?"_ Steela asks, poking her head into the room. "What does a caf joint have anything to do with this at all?"

"Because Barriss Offee is nursing a caf addiction." Soniee says. "She buys a fancy drink from StarChucks every morning."

"StarChucks? I worked there." I muse

Steela snorts. "Yeah, for like a day!"

"Then you quit because it was too stressful." Hero remembers.

So maybe I did quit. It was only because people thought that if their caf was one degree too hot or cold, it was the end of the world. Or that if their drink had one big pump of vanilla flavoring instead of one _big_ pump, then they would die.

"So we have the location. How do we get Katooni back?" Soniee asks.

"That's where Steela comes in." Hutch admits.

I look into the doorway. Steela is grinning like the Chesire Tooka.

"Uh-oh. That's the 'I have a really awesome plan' look." I whisper to Lux.

"There's a look?" Steela asks.

"Can't miss it." Lux says. "What are you thinking?"

Steela steps all the way into the room and nabs one of the desk chairs.

"We can't steal Katooni straight out." she says. "We need to get Barriss off-balance before we even stand a chance."

"And how are we going to do that?" Soniee asks.

"Simple. We're going to steal a really bad day."

 **STEELA**

"Hi, welcome to StarChucks! What can I get for you today?" Ahsoka asks.

The guy on the other end of the counter sniffs. "I need a double-espresso with two pumps sugar-free syrup, and white milk instead of blue milk."

"All right! I'll have your drink out in just a minute," Ahsoka chirps, rushing back to the barista counter.

"Hero, you better fill this one fast. This guy looks like one of those coffee fanatics."

Normally StarChucks baristas make the drinks they take orders for. But Ahsoka, Soniee, and I keep messing ours up, so it's easier to just give the orders to Hero and let the culinary student handle it.

Hero rolls her eyes and makes the guy's drink, making sure she gives him the white milk instead of blue milk. "Who would want white milk?" she mutters, snapping the lid on the drink.

I'm starting to wonder how Ahsoka even managed to survive one day in StarChucks. The few hours I've been working here make me want to scream.

"When is Barriss supposed to get here?" I whisper, writing the coffee fanatic's name on the cup.

Soniee looks up from the counter she's wiping. "All her credit reports were dated and timed at around oh nine hundred hours."

I look at the clock. It's 9:05.

"She's late."

Soniee goes back to wiping the counter. "I wish Korkie were here. He's the one who's good at waiting."

Ahsoka smiles. "It's almost like a vacation from the men."

"I don't have a man." I announce proudly.

"Then it's a vacation from Saw for you." Soniee says.

"You forgot Rex."

"Oh my-."

Hero steps on my foot. "Steela, counter. Now!"

"What's going-?"

A Mirialan woman in a black bodysuit walks through the door. Two lightsabers are clipped to her belt.

About time.

I walk up to the cash and smile at her. "Welcome to StarChucks. What can I get for you today?"

Barriss looks at me. And looks at me.

 _Oh boy._ She can't remember me, would she? Ahsoka's trial was three years ago, and all I did was yell and fantasize about bopping her in the face. _My_ face wouldn't be burned into her memory.

Right?

Barriss sniffs. "Blended full-caf mocha latte. Double flavor shots, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles."

Wow. For someone filled with snips of snails and puppy dog tails, I'm surprise she likes so much sugar and spice! "That'll be six cred."

I run the order to Hero, who starts to pour the caf.

"Hero, that's the de-." Ahsoka elbows me, and I shut up.

After filling the cup with decaf, Hero lays a heavy finger on the flavor shots. Twice.

"I don't know guys. What if she gives it to Katooni?" Soniee frets.

"She's not going to give a prisoner a six-credit drink." Ahsoka reasons.

"And Katooni doesn't drink caf. It gives her a rash." Hero says, putting the finishing touches on Barriss' drink and handing it to me. I run it back to Barriss.

"Here you go! Have a nice day." Barriss grabs her drink and walks out the door. Before I can do anything, a young Twi'lek girl walks up to place her order.

After Soniee runs the drink over to the Twi'lek and I get her muffin from the case, the moment arrives which I've been waiting all day for.

I take my hat off, untie my apron and yell "I QUIT!"

It's drowned out by Ahsoka's "SO LONG, STARCHUCKS!" This is her second round quitting at this place.

And for good reason. Why be a barista, when there's so much to steal?

 **SAW**

 _"Saw, this is Ahsoka. Barriss is on the move. I repeat, she's on the move. Are you in position?"_

"Yes we are," I say. "Korkie just put the sign on the door."

I look over to Barriss' doorstep where Korkie is calmly taping a sign to the front door.

NOTICE OF RELOCATION

DUE TO THE DECREPIT CONDITION OF THIS BUILDING, ALL IMPERIAL FUNCTIONS WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE BASE ON GEONOSIS.

SIGNED,

GRAND INQUISITOR

Why Geonosis? Simple: Ahsoka said she and Barriss had some very bad experiences on Geonosis, which ended in Barriss being affected by mind-controlling brain worms. If I were her, I sure wouldn't want to go back.

Also, there is no StarChucks on Geonosis.

I race up to the front of the door and shove my way into the bushes next to Korkie.

"Is she coming?" He whispers.

"Steela just said -."

The sound of a speeder draws near. Korkie and I fall silent.

 _All right, Barriss. Come on, come on…_

Footsteps snap down the sidewalk, accompanied with the sound of someone slurping a straw.

"What on Korriban...?"

Barriss rips the sign from the door, and reads it.

After a minute or so, she pauses to rub her forehead.

 _Caffeine withdrawal headache, Barriss?_ Hopefully, she won't notice that she just needs a cup of caf.

Barriss takes another sip of her drink. "Why isn't this working?" she mutters, and goes back to reading the sign.

 _"Geonosis?"_ she shouts, fingers fumbling to punch in the correct entry code for the door.

While Korkie lifts his holocam and records the motion of her hand punching in the code, I turn on the scanner Hutch gave me.

Barriss just needs to keep the door open long enough for it to pick up on the frequencies inside. If we don't get this intel, Hutch and Soniee might not be able to crack the security system.

A light goes on. Security cameras.

Okay, that's all right. We know how to beat security cameras.

"This is ridiculous!" Barriss hisses.

She slams the door right before my scanner lights up like a Christmas tree.

Cameras. Motion detectors. Lasers.

Oh, boy. We've got our work cut out for us this time. 

**A/N: Everyone, I'd like to call a moment of appreciation for all the people who work in coffee shops, fast food places, retail stores, and all other fields of customer service. May they be appreciated for all the hogwash they go through on a daily basis.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom, Rose Ravenclaw, and WishIwasaJedi for your reviews! And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	13. Help From Beyond the Grave

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN – HELP FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE**

 _"Tor!"_

Tor sits up straight.

"Who's there?" he demands. "What do you want?"

Something steps out from the other end of the room, shrouded in shadow.

"Who are you?" Tor demands, reaching for his holdout pistol.

The figure steps out of the shadows. He's tall and strong-looking, with dark hair coming in a little gray and a scruffy beard. Face contorted in rage.

Tor nearly chokes. " _Bonteri?"_

John Bonteri takes a step closer. "I may have worked for you for two years and I've let you live this long, but this time you've crossed the line!"

"How are you here?" Tor sputters.

"All of us have power to help our loved ones. So far I've just been a passive observer, but by God…"

Tor is not the galaxy's greatest believer in the supernatural, but he knows enough of the basics to understand what's going on here: John must be visiting him in a dream.

Meaning he can't hurt him.

He wipes the shock off his face.

"Your daughter's a pretty girl, John." He says. "She has your eyes."

John closes the distance between the two of them.

"You stay away from her." He hisses.

"It was an innocent remark. There's no one named Bonteri here. Just some thief named Annie Bennett."

John puffs out. "You can't hide things from the dead. When you go in there," he orders, "You will let Sierra off the table. She doesn't know anything."

Tor calls bull. "You know I would never put little ones in interrogation chambers!"

"I know what you do to kids," John says. "And with God as my witness I swear you're not going to do it to mine!"

Tor snorts. "How?"

John pushes him. "You let my daughter go, or I will drag you down to hell to burn. And yes, I can do that."

Tor shakes his head.

"Did you visit your girl? If you haven't, don't bother. She'll be up there soon enough."

…

Even though a bright light has been shining in her eyes and the coolant system has been running on maximum the whole night, Sierra's somehow managed to nod off. Tor presses the thermometer to her ear and checks the readout.

Ninety five. Perfect.

He jerks her face. "Wake up, sleepyhead. It's not safe to sleep in the cold."

Sierra's eyes open, squinting at the light.

"Good morning," she says icily.

Tor uses a control panel to raise her to a reclining position, then sets a white box on her lap.

"It's for you," he explains. "Your father told me about it during our coffee breaks. Care to open it?"

Sierra gulps. Tor deftly opens the flaps on top and tilts the box downward, until something falls out and onto her lap.

It's a small snake with brightly colored bands.

Sierra screams.

"Lux used to tease you with toy snakes, didn't he?" Tor shouts over the noise.

"Get it off of me!" Sierra shrieks.

Tor picks the snake up. "All you have to do is tell me about your crew. What kind of ship are you using?"

Sierra hiccups and shakes her head. Tor sets the snake back onto her lap.

"How do you select the targets?"

"No!"

Tor backs up.

"All right," he says. "I'll leave you and your friend to get acquainted. Just be careful, he bites."

Tears drip down Sierra's face. Tor's never been so glad he eavesdropped on John and Cooper's conversation all those years ago.

 **SIERRA**

 _Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, venom lack._

 _-Rhyme taught to distinguish the difference between the coral snake (poisonous) and king snake (harmless)._

"Don't freak out. Whatever you do, don't freak out." I whisper to myself.

 _Too late!_ My brain shouts before descending into a screaming frenzy.

The snake slithers around on my lap. Are snakes deaf? I wouldn't know, I hate the things so much I can't even read books with pictures of them.

I'm really starting to wish I had swallowed my fear and read one of them. Is this one venomous? The snake is covered in banded stripes: red, black, and yellow.

Oh, great. It's one of those snakes that has a harmless and a poisonous variety, and they both look similar. Lux used to pick them up and bring them into the house to scare me.

 _Come on Sierra. What was the rhyme that Mom taught you about how to tell the difference? Red on yellow…._

 _Red on yellow…something fellow. Red on black… death to Jack!_

 _It's poisonous!_

"Aaaahhh!"

Tears stream down my face. Tor doesn't want me dead so soon, right? What if the snake bites me? What if they don't have antivenin to save me or Tor doesn't let them use it? What if the poison doesn't kill me, it just does something awful.

 _I don't care,_ a little voice in the back of my head says, _Because I just really, really, really HATE SNAKES!_

"AAAAAHHHH!"

 **AHSOKA**

 _"I think Hutch and I can keep the security system at bay."_ Soniee says. _"Get ready, all of you. You'll be moving in in approximately one minute."_

"Been waiting to hear that for two days." Hero grumbles, loading a blaster. The bolt slams into the action with a sharp _shick-click!_

"Is Hero stable enough to go with us?" Steela whispers into my montral. "Because she looks like she's going to lose it."

Hero whips around. "Of course I'm a little tense. Barriss has Katooni! And don't start with me, Steela. This is my kid, and I'm going to help her."

Bo-Katan grabs her arm.

"Hero," she says. "If you want to help Katooni, I need you to find me a pink flower with yellow centers and a white stem."

Hero raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"Whoever has your kid is an Inquisitor." Bo argues. "Death Watch uses the pollen from these flowers as a Force inhibitor. It could be the difference between success and failure."

If Death Watch really had a Force inhibitor, they would have used it on me during the Carlaac incident. But whatever Bo's saying, I'm going to back it up.

"That would be really important. Barriss has a Force-heavy fighting style." I say.

Hero shoves the gun into Bo-Katan's arms, keeping the pistol for herself. She can't run out of the speeder fast enough.

Once she's out of earshot, I turn to Bo.

"Okay, what are the flowers actually for?"

"For getting rid of Hero," Bo says accompanied by an eye roll.

Saw nods. "Solid."

"All right, let's get a move on." I announce, leading our group up towards the temple. "We don't have much time before Barriss' bad day starts to wear off."

….

Steela, Ventress, and I peel off, heading for the back door. The guys, Hondo, and Bo walk toward the front.

I press a hand to my comm. "Hutch, Soniee, we're almost there. Turn off the system."

 _"Gotcha. I'm putting the cameras on loop."_ Hutch says.

 _"And I have control of the lasers."_ Soniee says sweetly.

There's the sound of keys hammering. _"Now I have the cameras and the gun placements."_

I freeze. "She has guns?"

 _"Hutch, I have the lasers, the lights, and look at that, I also have the motion detec-."_

"How about the door lock? Does anyone have control of that?" Steela snaps, ear pressed to the lock.

Silence. There's a click, and the door opens.

Steela brushes herself off and tiptoes through the door, gun out.

"Hutch, where's Barriss and where's Katooni?" I whisper.

Soniee comes through on the comm. _"There's a room down the hall a little that has three locks on the door."_

"Probably where she's keeping Katooni."

The comm crackles. _"We're closer to her."_ Lux says. _"You three, get out of here."_

"You're probably going to need Steela to get in."

 _"No, we don't. We have Hondo and Bo."_

Steela huffs. "We're still coming to back you up." She whispers.

There's the sound of a door opening, and then Saw's comm picks up a joyful

 _"Saw! You're here!"_

 _"Keep it down, Katooni. Your parents will kill us if we get caught."_

Katooni's voice drops to a whisper. _"You guys came after me. You, and Lux, and… Hondo?"_

 _"Tiny Jedi! You didn't think old Hondo would come to the rescue?"_

And then there's another voice.

 _"I didn't."_

A lightsaber ignites.

 _"But not an unpleasant surprise."_

Ventress hears the same thing I do. We grab Steela in one hand, our lightsabers with the other and start bolting down the hallway.

 _"Leave them alone!"_ Katooni yells.

 _"Silence, sister!"_

 _"I'm not your sister! I'm not anybody's sister!"_

I drop Steela and use the Force to run down the hall, drawing my lightsaber. 

"Barriss, stay back!" I bellow.

Barriss turns around, smiling malevolently. "Hello, Ahsoka." She nods to Ventress. "Assassin."

Ventress growls, changing her stance. "You have something that belongs to me."

"Your helmet?"

Ventress growls. Barriss ignites her lightsaber.

"For now, let's chat. Shall we?"

"Barriss, let Katooni-."

 _"You witch!"_

Barriss' head snaps toward the direction of the voice. So does Ventress'.

Mine would, if they weren't irrevocably glued to something on the floor.

It's a bouquet of flowers.

Pink flowers, with yellow centers, and white stems.

 **A/N: Uh-oh. Who was sent out to get a pink flower?**

 **In her panic, Sierra did not recall the snake rhyme correctly. She swapped the endings. The real rhyme is "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, venom lack." So the snake she has been presented with is not venomous. (But she's petrified of snakes period, so it still has the desired effect)**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, and WishIwasaJedi for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	14. Hero Loses Her Mind

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN – HERO LOSES HER MIND**

 **Twenty minutes earlier…**

A young woman rushes into the florist's shop, all out of breath.

"I need a pink flower with yellow centers and white stems." She gasps, leaning on the counter for support. "Do you have them?"

The florist glances around her shop. Pink flower, yellow centers, white stems…good gravy, who would want a flower with that color scheme?

"Hold on for just a second," she says sweetly. "Let me check in the back."

In the back, the selects six pink daisies, their yellow centers bright as suns. Using her airbrush, she very carefully airbrushes the stems white.

When she comes back to the counter, the woman nearly faints with relief. The florist starts to ring up the daisies.

"That'll be-."

The woman throws a twenty-credit chip on the counter, snatches the flowers, and runs out the door. The florist watches her go.

"You forgot your change!" she yells after her, but the woman is already long gone.

 **AHSOKA**

Hero St. James fills the other doorway, a door of pure rage.

"Mom?" Katooni asks incredulously.

 _"Babe!"_ Hutch bleats through the comm. _"Babe, don't do it. Take a breath."_

Hero takes a breath all right. She takes a breath right before she shouts a war cry and raises the flower bouquet above her head.

"You took Katooni! I'm gonna kill you!" Hero roars, charging.

I don't know what she plans to do, if she wants to use the bouquet as a weapon or if she plans on tearing Barriss apart with her teeth. All I know is that she never gets to do it.

Saw launches across the room and tackles Hero with a move probably learned from University of Onderon bolo-ball.

"Get off me, Saw!" Hero roars.

"Not a chance!"

I force myself to ignore Hero, and instead turn my focus on Barriss' lightsaber swinging toward me. I block it.

"Barriss, stand down."

"Don't tell me you're still clining to the old ideals, Ahsoka." Barriss says. "You remember the trial. The Republic was doomed from the very beginning!"

A torrent of bolts shoot toward Barriss; our friends lying down covering fire. Barriss easily uses one saber to deflect the bolts.

"The Republic wasn't failing." I argue. "It was dragged down by darkness."

"Darkness from within!"

"Darkness that you and the Sith put there!"

Ventress charges into the fray, locking Barriss' other lightsaber. Barriss ignores her.

"The Jedi Council only fostered it. Ahsoka, they turned their backs on you."

"Because _you_ framed her for the bombing!" Lux bellows.

"And you _kidnapped_ Katooni!" Hero roars. Even though I'm not looking, I can guess that Katooni has nothing to say because Hero has her in a bear hug.

Steela sums up what we're all thinking. "Ever since that trial, I've just wanted to _punch you in the face!"_

"Or worse." Ventress hisses.

Barriss swings again. "What are all of you? A bunch of thieves trying to scratch the Empire?"

"More like stab it in the heart." I correct.

Barriss laughs. "If only, Ahsoka. If…"

Ventress' second saber breaks free of Barriss, swinging in a deadly arc toward the Inquisitor's chest.

"AUGH!"

The lightsabers drop as Barriss loses her grip on them.

Cut in half.

Gone at last.

The room falls in silence, cut only by Katooni's muffled tears

Then Hondo breaks it.

"Well," he says. "She was no friend of the tiny Jedi, so she is no friend of Hondo's!"

 **LUX**

Katooni sits in between Hutch and Hero, the victim of relieved parents.

"I'm never letting you go." Hero says, kissing the top of Katooni's head another time. "Not ever. I'm going to follow you everywhere. You'd better get used to the sight of me, because I'm not leaving."

"Give her some breathing room, Hero." Hutch mutters, but his and Katooni's tight embrace belies his relief and her rescue.

Mom blots Katooni's raw wrists with a wet cloth. Katooni winces.

"You sure put up a fight in those force binders." Hutch notes.

"I was afraid she would find you all." Katooni whispers. "She called someone on a hologram. He said he had 'the other one' and that we would be the key to finding all of you."

Mom freezes.

"Did this man have dark hair and a beard?" she asks.

Katooni nods and even though I've never met Tor, I know what he looks like.

Mom takes a deep breath.

"Did she or the man mention Sierra?" she asks in a small voice.

Katooni nods.

"He said that she 'would be there in the morning.'" Katooni replies, looking at her feet.

I know what that means.

 _He's torturing my sister and she's about to break._

Ahsoka and Steela share a glance.

"She's held on for a long time." Steela comments.

"Tor didn't ask me questions straight away. I think he was trying to soften me up." Ahsoka says, bouncing Tav in her arms.

I glance at the clock.

"She's been there for two days now."

"Then he's probably starting." Ahsoka says darkly.

"What's he going to do?"

"Lux." Mom says sharply.

I ignore her. "Ahsoka, what's happening to her? What's he going to do?"

"Lux, no." Ahsoka says. "Not in front of the kids." And then in a lower voice: "I told you everything. Your dad rescued me before Tor could start the interrogation."

A mental picture flashes into my mind of Sierra screaming, covered in blood and tears.

 _Let her go! Please let her go. She's too young for this and if you lay a finger on her Tor, if you so much as cut her hair, I'll kill you. I'll do what my father wanted to do and kill you._

 _How could you leave her behind, Lux? She's your little sister. She's looked up to you from the moment she was born and you cried because she was wrinkled, and your crying made her cry._

This time, the potential of _her_ crying just might make _me_ cry.

"We have to get her home." Mom says. "Now."

"Of course, Mina…" Tandin says.

"No. Now. I'm not letting my daughter die!" Mom says, pulling herself up to her full height next to Tandin.

Sweet, loving Mina Bonteri is gone. BonScary has arrived.

"Tor won't give her medical attention no matter how badly she needs it," Mom says. "If we don't get there soon, she is going to die. If not from her wounds, then from dehydration or hypothermia."

"If she doesn't tell him anything, he has to keep her alive." Korkie points out.

Ahsoka bites her lip.

"John Bonteri ruined Tor's career during the Clone War, and Tor's not the forgiving type." She says. "Once Tor was back in power, he took John and Mina's money and reputations. Then he killed John…"

"And now he has his daughter." Mom finishes with a knife-sharp tone. "Information is secondary. Standard interrogation is out the window. He just wants to watch Sierra suffer."

"What if we do the same thing we did to Offee to him?" Hero suggests.

Bo scoffs. "That's one reason you all aren't Nite Owls. Tor isn't the StarChucks type."

"Then what kind of type is he? The death sticks type?" I grasp at straws.

Ahsoka shakes her head. "No way. He yelled at a guard who was smoking a death stick around me. He said he didn't like the way they smelled."

Ventress cracks her neck. "Dooku."

"What?" Ahsoka asks.

"The Count didn't smoke death sticks or drink too much juma, but he had an addiction." Ventress says. "His ego."

Ahsoka nods. "He really did."

"That's it. We go after Tor's ego." Saw says. "And how are we going to do that?"

Soniee opens her laptop. "Give Hutch and I a few minutes, and his secrets won't be so secret anymore."

With an arm still around Katooni, Hutch turns on his datapad. "All right, let's see what the HoloNet knows about Mr. Peter David Torrance."

….

"Oh my force."

"Is that even possible? How does he get food?" Saw asks, staring at the list of dirt that Hutch and Soniee have compiled.

"I'm counting on my fingers and my toes, and I'm not even close to the number of complaints he has." Steela says.

"Thirty-seven." Soniee tells her.

Bo-Katan's eyes bug out. "Vizla didn't even have that many civil suits."

"Yes, it looks like our man Torrance has been a very bad boy." Hutch says, nearly giggling with anticipation over what he's going to do to Tor. He's highlighted his favorite pieces of dirt in yellow marker.

I crane my neck to read them.

"He didn't."

"Oh _yes_ he did." Hutch says with obvious relish. "It took a little elbow grease to get his records unsealed but when he did…hoo boy! It was like being in a candy store."

"Are you sure all of this is true?" I ask, transfixed by the list.

"I checked a few times. And what's better, I got actual witness testimony from the people involved." He licks his lips.

"Now, let's see what this little bank account is for, huh?"

Hutch selects it, and a list of transactions fills up the screen.

"Hutch, is that what I think it's for?"

Hutch leans closer. "I think it is…"

Hero covers Katooni's eyes. "Don't look, honey."

Ahsoka turns Tav from the screen as if to shield him. "Seriously? He has a private account to pay a-?"

"The bigger question," Steela interrupts, "Is what kind of a name is 'Celestine'?"

 **A/N: The rebels sure have the dirt on Tor now … and they're going to need it. The next chapter will be centric to Tor and Sierra, but I promise it will have humorous parts.**

 **How can a chapter about Tor and Sierra be funny, you ask? Just stay tuned!**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	15. Celestine

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN – CELESTINE**

 **Author's Note: This chapter contains advanced interrogation techniques, as well as references to "gentlemen's clubs". Also, I do not own TCW but I do own Sierra, Tor, and Hero.**

" _The poor wretches say anything that comes into their mind and what they think the interrogator wishes to know."_

 _-Napoleon, on torture._

 **SIERRA**

"Get this thing off of me!"

Tor gestures to the snake on my lap. "Why? He likes you just fine."

"He's p-p-poisonous! Do you want me dead?" I hiccup.

"I'll take him away if you tell me how your crew selects your targets."

"I told you I don't know how they do it, that's not my j-job." I cough.

"You heard something." He accuses, "I know it. Your brother can't keep anything to himself."

Well he has that right. Lux has the biggest mouth in the galaxy.

"So," he says, nonchalantly scooping the snake off my lap and laying it on my chest, so close the creature can probably feel the wild _thump-thump_ ing of my heart drilling through its scales. "How do you select the targets?"

"We p-pick the dirtiest, slimiest people there are. You were next on our list."

I know I'm going to regret that in just a few seconds, but it feels _good._

Tor's hand cracks across my face again, snapping my head to the side. He leans over me, blocking the light, blocking everything until my entire world is his body, towering over me.

"Don't try me, girl." He hisses.

The snake slithers down my abdomen, back onto my lap, and then off my body. I almost breathe a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, Tor notices that it's gone.

Breaking eye contact with me, he ducks down and picks the creature back up.

"It's been a while since the job ended," he says. "Surely they would have found you by now, don't you think. They're good at finding everything else.

"That is…unless they're not looking."

"They're looking." I insist.

"I don't know -."

"They are!"

"How are you so sure?" He comes around to the other side of the chair. "I didn't tell you how easy it was to catch you, Sierra. My men say you barely put up a fight when they came for you."

"I d-did what I c-could."

"And look at where you are right now." He traces a finger down one of my strapped-down arms. "Sweetheart, in the military that's what we call a liability."

"They're coming back. My mom and b-brother would never leave me behind. Ever!"

"So where are they now?"

I don't have an answer for that.

"They're not here because they're off finishing the job," he says. "Three hundred thousand credits. That's a lot of money, enough to make you forget about a liability."

"L-Lux wouldn't leave me. My m-mom wouldn't leave me"

"Really? Then why didn't he take you with him to the Death Watch and rebel camps? He left you all alone."

I jump to Lux's defense. "He wanted to protect me."

"He didn't even mention you to the Gerreras. When you were with Steela during the Lazarus Project, she had no idea you even existed. Lux didn't tell his best friends about you!"

"So if they were captured they couldn't tell someone like _you_ about me."

To my surprise, he doesn't hit me again. "Maybe. Or he just wanted to be rid of you."

No. Lux loves me, as much as I love him. If we didn't love each other, we would have strangled each other when we were kids.

I mean, I was not a lovable child and neither was Lux. Who _is_ lovable every moment of the time when they're a kid?

Tor presses his thumb into my arm hard, then watches the color return to my skin.

"Are you cold? Tired?" He asks. I don't answer. He steps away, presumably to get the thermometer.

"You're turning blue! You were at ninety six when those agents left." He says when he returns, grabbing my head and forcing it against the back of the chair. "Now how far have you gone down?"

I try to squirm away, but the cold metal tip of the thermometer invades my ear anyway.

"This doesn't hurt." Tor argues. "I could be doing much worse, and you squirm away from a _thermometer?"_

Put like that it sounds silly, but I hate the thing and how much power it gives him once he knows how cold I really am.

Tor whistles. "Ninety-four point three. Well, you officially have hypothermia."

He withdraws the thermometer with one hand, presses the back of the other to my forehead. "You don't have long before your body starts to shut down." He announces. "Shallow breathing, weakened pulse, coma."

He takes one of my numb hands in his and rubs it, the friction returning heat and feeling to it.

"You remember how nice and warm it was in the Med Bay," he says smoothly. "We can take you back there. All you have to do is tell me how your crew picks its targets."

I can feel myself start to nod off, one warm hand a sharp contrast to my cold, cold body.

"Sierra?" Tor prompts. "The targets?"

"The HoloNet," I slur.

For a half second, the muscles in Tor's hand tense.

 _A tell._

"The HoloNet. You find the targets using the HoloNet?"

The implicaitons of what I just said slam into me like a bucket of ice water.

"N-no!"

"No, that's good." He says, still holding my hand, still massaging heat into it. "What kind of ship are you using?"

"L-let me g-go!" I can't yank my hand away, but I don't want him touching me, I don't want to let something else slip.

Suddenly, the overhead speakers crack to life.

 _"Look out!"_ a wonderful voice shouts. _"You're listening to Rebel Radio and I'm your smokin' hot deejay, Huuuutch St. Jaaaames!"_

 **HUTCH**

"Okay," I say. "All Tor's computers run on an intranet, but some of the guards like their HoloNet radio. All I have to do is use that channel to get into an unattended computer…and I'm in."

"How are you in?" Mina asks.

"We can put a line of code into the computer that allows us to remotely control it. Tech support does it all the time." Soniee explains. "Hutch, give me a few seconds and then…I'm in. I'm just waiting for the distraction."

"Do you think the two-way will work?"

Soniee nods. "That's how the speakers are designed. The rest of the security systems, I'm not sure."

"All right then. It's go time."

I flip on the switch, and the speaker channel opens wide.

I grab the mike. "Look out! You're listening to Rebel Radio and I'm your smokin' hot deejay, Huuutch St. Jaaames!"

Through the two-way, I hear Tor roar with anger.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your music hour, but today we have a call-in for Sierra Bonteri. Are you listening, Sierra? It's from your mom."

There's silence, and then a slurred _"Yes."_

I hand the mike over to Mina, who raises it to her lips.

"Sierra, this is Mom." She takes a deep breath. "I know that there are some awful things happening to you right now, and if I could take it away for you I could, but we need you to hold on. Lux wants you to know that he knows that you're very smart and you can get through this – we all know you can. And Ahsoka is so worried about you; she just wants to have you back." She swallows hard. "Also, I love you. I would go through hell and high water for you, and I love you very, very much."

On the other end, I hear Sierra burst into tears. Mina wipes her eyes and shoves the mike into my hands.

 _All right, time to rock._

 _"Get out of my speakers, rebel."_ Tor seethes.

"Get out? Funny you say that, Tor, because it's been said quite a few times to you. For example, Jerry's? Where you got a little too close to one of the waitresses?'

There is silence, and then a loud _"That was one mistake!"_

"You wish. Forgotten about the Downtown Diner, where you drank 10 shots of expensive whiskey, and when the bartender cut you off you ran into the kitchen and yelled, quote 'I'm the king of the world'?"

Sierra cracks up.

"Or the fact that you've been kicked out of not one, not two, but _thirty-six_ restaurants, bars, and stores in your town, including all of the grocery stores. What do you do, get your stuff delivered? Or does your girlfriend do the shopping?" I flip a page of my notes. "That girlfriend would be Sue Hannigan, who co-signed a lease with you?"

 _"I fail to see how this has anything to do with my job!"_

"I do. Everyone, if Tor isn't seen fit to go pick up a jug of blue milk at the grocery store, then why should he be trusted to treat prisoners humanely? Oh wait, he doesn't!" I grab another page of notes. "Tor, do you remember Ahsoka Tano, age sixteen? The prisoner who was rescued by John Bonteri because she was freezing, dehydrated, and sick? John Bonteri saved the Jedi who freed Onderon, and this is how you all repay him? You're going to kill his kid?"

 _"Sierra Bonteri is here because she's guilty of fraud and grand theft."_ Tor argues.

"That may be true," I say. "But let's talk about something else for a while. Tor, tell us about…Celestine."

Dead silence.

"You know, Celestine? The stripper who you spend ungodly amounts on credits on each week?"

…..

 _Tor entered the gentlemen's club and immediately parked himself down in his normal seat, directly next to the dancing Twi'lek._

 _"I brought the dough, baby!" he cheered._

 _"Thank you, baby." The Twi'lek said sultrily, gliding around the pole._

 _Tor couldn't throw the money at her fast enough, his eyes wide._

… _.._

"I'm guessing that your girlfriend probably doesn't know about Celestine."

 _"What I choose to spend my money on is my business. Now get out of my personal life!"_ Tor snaps.

"Your mother wouldn't be impressed either."

 _"Stop this transmission!"_ Tor bellows.

I glance over at Soniee.

"Almost done," she whispers. "I need fifteen more seconds."

"Do you even know how much trouble I got in with my wife for watching the security footage of you in the gentlemen's club?" I ask. "Imagine how mad your girlfriend is going to be when she finds out you actually went in!"

 _"You'll pay for this, St. James."_ Tor says _"Starting with the girl here."_

I lean back in the chair. "This is Rebel Radio, signing off." I say with a huge grin on my face. "I hope you all enjoyed our special broadcast."

 **A/N: The whole thing may not have been humorous, but there were funny bits, yes?**

 ***Throws up hands* Well, now Tor's furious. Can't say that's going to work out very well for Sierra.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, and a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	16. We Stage a Jailbreak

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

 **Warning: This chapter contains two scenes involving physical torture. If these are going to upset you, then please skip the first section of this chapter and go directly to the section Steela narrates.**

 **The second scene begins at the section where Sierra narrates. Skip to the border that looks like this: .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. and you will be fine.**

 **If you would like to skip these sequences, just know that Tor has broken Sierra's leg. Faced with this, Sierra cracks.**

As soon as Hutch signs off, Tor storms out of the interrogation room.

Strapped to the table, Sierra knows she's in for a world of hurt when he gets back. She can't dare to think that he would have left her alone after hearing her friends' broadcast. One can only get that lucky once in a year, not twice in a day.

Tor returns not ten seconds later with two guards.

"Go."

The guards walk to Sierra's right. One grabs her shin and – to Sierra's abject horror – the second starts to undo the cuff on her right ankle.

"N-No," she begs. "No, please!"

"Do it," Tor orders.

"It's a freighter! An old spice freighter. That's the kind of ship we're using! I'll tell you anything, just please don't-!"

The snap of bone fills the room, followed shortly by Sierra's scream.

 **STEELA**

Rex kneels before me again, tying my boot laces. Bo-Katan stares at us.

"This has to be one of the most ridiculous plans I've ever seen." She says, staring at the fake belly bulging out from beneath my shirt.

"It worked." I point out. Security didn't find any of my gear

"It did, but now you have that thing stuck to you." She points out.

Rex ties the last knot and steps back, leaving me to defy the laws of physics yet again and stand up. "We need to hurry. If Tor is as furious as Hutch says he is, then he's going to take out his anger on Sierra."

Bo shoulders the first pack of gear we strapped to my stomach. "Your girl won't last long. When Vizla got that mad, somebody was going to die."

"Then let's get to the detention level." I implore, screwing in my earbud. "That's where they're going to keep her."

"We have to let the others in first."

Bo walks off down a hallway to let the others in through the service entrance. Rex and I keep hurrying. Or more accurately, Rex hurries. I waddle.

"Do I smell pickles?"

"You're not really pregnant." Rex whispers in my ear.

"I know that. I'm acting." I whisper back.

Rex sighs a little. "I don't smell anything. It must be the baby." He presses the elevator call button and the doors open. Inside is an older woman, leaning against the wall. We step in and I press the button for the detention level.

No sooner have I stepped back from the button panel then there are _hands_ on me.

"Oh, I just love babies!" the woman coos, rubbing the fake belly. "Little cherubs sent down to bring the rest of use pure joy!"

Okay Steela. Grandmas are not threat. Even annoying ones. "Yeah…yeah!" I say, stepping back.

"Oh, when are you due?"

"About a month."

"You look so lovely for eight months. Honey, I bet you anything that baby is going to come out with beautiful curly hair just like you!" Before I can say a word, she looks up at Rex and has to grab the wall for support. "It's a clone baby! Oh, that's one _gorgeous_ baby you have, with your pretty hair and his eyes. Is it a boy or a girl?"

Rex says "Boy" the same time I say "Girl."

"Both," Rex covers. "We're having twins."

The woman almost faints. "Twins? Double the fun. What are their names?"

 _Names, names, think of names!_ "Um…we're going to name the girl Kate." I deadpan. Kate was my mother's name. "And the boy is…"

 _"You're naming your fake baby?"_ Hutch asks through the comm.

"Hutch!" Rex raps out.

 _"Wait, what's going on?"_

"Kate and Hutch. Our babies' names are Kate and Hutch." I say, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

"They'll be so adorable." The woman coos when the door opens and Rex and I almost run out.

"Ahsoka?" I whisper into the comm. "You can't pay me enough to wear this stupid belly again."

 _"I agree. It's only worth is when you know there's a baby inside."_ She says. _"We're inside and on our way to the detention level. Soniee, the security system?"_

 _"I have everything under control."_ Soniee says cooly. _"No alarms are going off, and we're scrambling the facial recognition system. So far it hasn't gotten any hits."_

 _"You can keep the cameras from seeing us?"_ Hondo asks. _"You know, Hondo is hiring!"_

 _"No thank you."_ Soniee says around the same time Korkie loudly clears his throat.

 _"Focus!"_ Lux snaps. _"Rex and Steela, how close are you to the interrogation rooms?"_

"I don't know! It's not like they posted a map. Rex?"

Rex glances around. "Interrogation rooms are going to be as far from the elevators as possible. Steela and I will start here but we'll need backup. There should be a service staircase that's closer to the rooms."

 _"We're taking it right now. Level six, right?"_

"Level six." Rex confirms.

 _"We are on our way!"_ Hondo announces.

Rex turns to me. "You have your lock picking gear, right?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go. We have to get to Sierra."

 **SIERRA**

"Stop! I'll tell you anything, just _please stop!"_

My body is burning. My leg screams where the guards snapped it like a twig. There are other injuries, more pain, but I don't know what's causing it. All I know is it _hurts._

I'm screaming. Some of it is words, some of it is just screaming. I know I've said things, important things. Things about Ahsoka, about Lux, about our crew. The basic cons we use, Saw's fighting style, crimes we've committed in the past.

The things Tor said he wants to hear, but nothing makes him stop.

 _He doesn't want information. This was never about information. This was about Dad…my family…me…_

"Wake her up!" Tor orders.

Another bolt of pure hell arches through my body.

"Again!"

"Sir?" a guard asks.

 _"Are you questioning my orders?_ Again! _"_

The guard presses the button on the controls.

This time, it doesn't hurt.

 _ **.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**_

 __ _It's okay, Sierra. You're going to be fine. It doesn't hurt anymore, it won't hurt ever again…_

The door opens.

Two shots ring out.

"Stand back! _**STAND THE KRIFF BACK!"**_

 _Am I dreaming? Because that sounds like…_

"S-Steela?" I slur.

But it's not a dream, because I'm hurting again. Steela and Captain Rex are in the doorway, like two very pissed-off angels with guns.

"I'd listen to the girl, she doesn't miss." Rex advises. "It's only a matter of time before Lux Bonteri arrives. Personally, I would rather face him when he _can't_ see what you've done to his sister."

"If he's here, then why would I give up my hostage?"

"Because you don't want me to shoot you?"

"Should you really be out and about in your condition, Miss Gerrera?"

 _Condition? What's he mean by…what the heck?_

Steela is pregnant. Very, very pregnant. _How long have I been here? Long enough for Steela to be that big? Maybe she was pregnant before and was just hiding it._ Impossible. Steela and I share a room, we've walked in on the other dressing a few times. Her stomach has always been flat.

How long did it take them to come find me?

Another shot, and Tor roars in pain, falling away from the table.

"Sierra!" A beautiful voice shouts as rebels, angels, swarm into the room to turn off the energy bonds and pick me up.

I crane my neck away from the people swarming over me. "L-Lux?"

Lux is here. Face scrunched in anger and hatred, but he's here.

His face softens a little, looking like he's going to cry.

"Hi, Sis."

If there was any water left in me, I would cry.

"Hey, hey," someone I recognize as Saw says, taking most of my weight while another person, a redhead I don't know, takes my broken leg.

Lux takes his eyes off me and addresses the entire group.

"Everyone, take Sierra back to the ship."

"What?" Ahsoka asks.

"Take Sierra back to the ship. I'll follow you."

Ahsoka crosses her arms and shakes her head.

"I'm staying. The rest of you, go."

"I'm not leaving you with _him."_ Rex snaps.

 _"Go, Rex!_ Everyone take her home, and that's an order!"

Saw readjusts me in his arms. "Time to go home," he mutters, and the others lead the way out the door.

 **LUX**

Tor has the nerve to smile at me.

"Tor."

"Took you long enough."

"Do you have something for young girls? It isn't enough that you had to pick on Ahsoka, you had to torture my sister too?" I snap, levelling the pistol at him.

Ahsoka grabs my arm. "Lux, don't."

"Don't? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't!"

"Because it's murder." Ahsoka says forcefully.

"Murder? _Murder?_ Did you see Sierra? If we'd gotten here a few minutes later, we would have had a murder on our hands!" I shout.

Ahsoka squeezes my arm. "I know," she says. "And trust me, I want to kill him too. But you are better than him, Lux. You don't kill people who can't fight back."

I pull back the slide on the pistol. "No, but I'll do the galaxy a service when the time comes."

"Don't!"

"Don't tell me that you have compassion toward him! Ahsoka, don't you remember what he did to you? What he did to my father? He killed him in cold blood. He was going to torture you while you were sick. He almost tortured Sierra to death!"

Ahsoka scowls at Tor. "He's not my favorite person either, but you are a bigger man. You have a son. Do you want to set this kind of example for him?"

"Do I want to look Sierra in the face and say I didn't kill him?"

 _"Lux!"_ Ahsoka shouts. "If you do this, there's no going back. You aren't the same person, you just aren't."

She wraps her slim fingers around mine, steering clear of the trigger.

"Don't kill him out of hatred," she says gently. "It's not the Jedi way."

My arm relaxes the tiniest bit when Tor opens his big mouth.

"You know, I can see the family resemblance." He says. "She looks just like John. Her screams sound like his, too."

Oh, that does it.

I swallow hard.

"Tor," I say in a voice that doesn't sound like mine. "You hurt my wife. You killed my father. You tortured my sister."

I pull back the hammer.

"Prepare to die."

I'm just about to pull the trigger when Ahsoka _snatches_ the gun from me and judo-flips me over her shoulder, muttering "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Ahsoka, _Tor!"_

But I don't have to worry about him. A shot rings out, and Tor's body lights up from a stun bolt.

He falls to the ground, completely unconscious.

And Saw is in the doorway.

"You need to come with me, right now."

"I need to deal with him first." I seethe.

"No," Saw says urgently. "Sierra crashed on the way back to the ship. Tandin thinks she's gone into shock."

 **A/N: Sierra may be home, but she's not out of the woods yet. Far from it actually…**

 **For those of you who are unfamilar, "shock" doesn't refer to electrical or emotional shock. Shock is a condition where the body isn't getting enough blood flow. It can occur from heavy bleeding, infections, allergic reactions, or loss of fluids. In Sierra's case, it has been brought on from dehydration and bleeding.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, a-girl-a-computer-and-fandom, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	17. We Say a Desperate Prayer

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – WE SAY A DESPERATE PRAYER**

 _Shock: a life-threatening condition in which blood pressure is too low to sustain life._

Mina blots a washcloth over Sierra's face while Steela rips the covers off her bed and lays them over Sierra.

"Is that better?" Mina asks, stroking Sierra's hair.

Sierra mutters something so slurred, it's inaudible. Mina stops.

"Did you hear that?"

Steela nods.

"It didn't make sense, Mina."

Mina looks at her daughter. Sierra has always been fair, but now her skin is just pale and clammy. Hypothermia would explain how cold she is, but not the clammy skin. And not Sierra's utter confusion and slipping in and out of consciousness…

Mina's maternal instincts kick in full force.

"Steela," she orders. "Get Captain Rex."

 **LUX**

"Do we know what we're going?" I ask, nearly dragging Saw behind me as we race across the landing platform.

"Rex and Tandin are taking care of her right now," Saw says. "Korkie's had medical training too, but I think he's pulling it out of his -."

"Get in the ship!" Ahsoka orders, waving us up the boarding ramp.

"Ahsoka, what is this? What's wrong with Sierra?" I know she used to work with the clone medics, she has to have seen this.

"It means Sierra's blood pressure is too low to keep her alive." Ahsoka shuts the ramp and sends an all-clear ping to the cockpit. "I should have seen this coming. We knew she wasn't getting fluids. If that didn't do it already, then her injuries clinched it."

Steela rushes past us, her arms full of rolled-up towels. I lock stride with her. "Stee, how bad is it?"

"Bad. It came out of nowhere. Mina and I were cleaning her up while Rex and Tandin were getting the splint for her leg and out of nowhere, she just crashed." She opens the door to her and Sierra's cabin with her hip.

Sierra's skin is ashen, like candle wax. Tandin's struggling to find a vein in her skinny arm to start an IV. Mom sits at her head, petting her hair.

"Steela, put the towels under her feet." Rex orders, hooking supplemental oxygen around Sierra's nose. "We need to get more blood to her head."

"What about anti-shock trousers?" Korkie asks.

"Don't have any. They won't fit over her broken leg anyway." Rex says. "Steela, _towels."_

"Watch her leg," Mom says.

I lift Sierra's feet and Steela places the towels under them.

"We have this under control, right? We can fix this?" I ask.

Tandin hooks a bag of fluids to the IV line. "She's in hypovolemic shock. We need to get to a medical station right away."

"Why didn't we see this before?" Mom demands.

"My brother Kix told us that pediatric patients, they hide shock well." Rex says. "One minute they look perfectly fine and the next…"

And the next, they're gone.

"Can't we give her something to drink? Won't that help speed this up?"

"No!" Mom raps out. "We can't give her anything by mouth, Lux. That would kill her for sure."

I look down to my little sister. "Sierra, it's Lux. You're home, you're safe now. And Mom and Steela are here too."

"She can't hear you, Lux." Steela says. "When we first brought her here she would respond a little, but it was…wrong."

"Wrong?"

"We would ask her a question, and her answer wouldn't make any sense."

Tandin covers Sierra with a blanket. "Rex, how does her blood pressure look?"

Rex glances down at the cuff. "It's not good. Hang in there, kid." He says. "We'll be to Alderaan soon."

"If blood pressure's the problem, then why don't we just give her a transfusion?" I suggest. "I'm her brother. I should be a match."

Mom shakes her head. "We don't have a way to check."

Steela steps up, but Tandin cuts her off. "Before you get any ideas, young lady, you can't donate after that kidney transplant. It's not safe, and the last thing we need is you in trouble. Besides, the anti-rejection drugs in your system will kill her."

Mom runs her fingers through Sierra's hair. "I love you," she whispers.

"How far are we from the nearest medical station?" I ask.

Korkie looks at the clock. "One and a half standard hours. Senator Organa says he has a medical team on standby waiting for her."

….

"Do you know what made these marks?"

Ahsoka looks like she really doesn't want to answer Mom's question. "Those are electric burns. She's been onto the table."

Steela clears her throat. "To be honest, I'm more worried about these…"

She traces the puncture wounds on Sierra's arms, then the matching scars on her own.

"Those are track marks, from an IV. If she wasn't getting fluids, I can only guess that they were drugs."

"Oh, God." Mom moans. "What have they done to her?"

…

"The patient is a sixteen-year-old female. She's been in hypovolemic shock for an hour and a half. We've been running fluids and supplemental oxygen, both wide open." Rex briefs the medical staff, carrying Sierra. Mom is right beside him with the IV bag.

"There's a fracture in a lower right leg that needs an X-ray and a better splint." Rex continues.

One of the nurses showing the way is impressed. "Were you a medic?"

"No, but I helped them."

"Hypovolemic shock? How did this happen?"

"Dehydration for an extended period of time, plus bleeding from the leg. We don't know exactly what happened." I tell her. "You can save her, right?"

"You did the right thing. She has a fighting chance." The doctor says, rushing Sierra into the Med Bay.

…And leaving all of us outside.

…...

Bail Organa arrives in the foyer, where some handmaiden finally decided to take us.

"Mina?"

Mom exhales. "Bail, thank goodness you answered."

Senator Organa walks up to us. "How is your daughter?"

Everyone looks at Mom. She was the only one allowed in the Med Bay with Sierra.

"They're stabilizing her as we speak." Mom says. "They have her on blood pressure medication and more fluids. The medical droid did an X-ray of her leg and it's a closed fracture, a clean break. They'll put a cast on it she'll be on crutches, but she'll live."

"Thank goodness," Organa says, and looks to me. "It's Lux, isn't it?"

"It is," I shake his hand.

"The last time I saw you or your sister, I was holding you like _this,"_ he pantomimes holding a baby.

"Senator Organa." Ahsoka breaks in.

"Padawan Tano," he regards her. "It's good to see you again. I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances."

"I would have to agree with you, Senator." Ahsoka says, smiling and bouncing Tavin on her hip.

Organa smiles. "And who is this?"

"Goooo." Tav gurgles, his fingers in his mouth. "Gooooo."

"His name is Tavin." Ahsoka says. "We call him Tav."

Organa waves at Tav, who pays no more attention to him than he does the wall.

"What an adorable child," Organa says. "My daughter Leia was the same way when she was that age. It was only a few months ago!"

"You have a daughter?" Mom asks.

"Breha and I adopted her shortly after Empire Day."

Ventress clears her throat. "That's very sweet, but to be honest I don't care."

"Hush," Hondo says. "The sentimental, they always pay more."

Ahsoka grits her teeth and smiles. "Oh course. Hutch?"

"I'm just finishing up now." Hutch says. "The money's been transferred to your accounts."

Ventress uses her comlink to check her bank account, then leaves without another word.

"Thanks for all your help!" Ahsoka yells after her.

Hondo strolls up to Hutch, Hero, and Katooni. "Stay strong, tiny Jedi. Keep stealing."

"I will," Katooni says. "Thank you for helping me."

"Of course old Hondo will help you!" Hondo bellows. "Now hug me before I start to cry. I hate goodbyes!"

Katooni hugs him. Hondo smiles at Hutch and Hero.

"Take good care of her, Tiny Jedi's parents." He says, grabs his credits, and walks out the door. "So long, Katooni! Now that uncle Hondo is rich, I will send you a big Life Day present…if I remember when it is!"

Bo takes her cut and hands it to Soniee, who checks it.

"And the other matter?" Bo asks.

"Other matter?" I ask.

Senator Organa smiles. "Right this way. She's been drawing up a storm ever since you dropped her off."

 **AHSOKA**

Bail Organa leads us down a hallway and opens a door, revealing three people.

Breha Organa is sitting in a rocking chair, holding a baby. A toddler lies sprawled across the floor, surrounded by a halo of flimsi and crayons. At the sound of the door opening, she jumps.

"Bo!" she shrieks. "Mrs. Breha let me use her crayons!"

"I see that, Sabine." Bo says, gesturing to the mess.

Sabine grabs her drawing and hops over to Korkie. "Look! I drew you. Mrs. Breha says it's good enough to put on the fridge!"

"The fridge?" Korkie mutters to Soniee. "Isn't our fridge a bit -?"

"Of course," Soniee says.

Sabine bolts back to the crayon box. "There's light blue, and dark blue, and normal blue, and blue that looks like purple, and greeny-blue, and three kinds of orange and lots and lots of other colors, and Mrs. Breha said I could use all of them!"

While Sabine gushes on about all of her drawings, I look over to Bo. "Is she -?"

"Mine? No. She's a friend's kid, and she's staying with us. It was Korkie's idea." Bo tells me. "We didn't have anyone to watch her while we went on the job, so Senator Organa volunteered."

Breha hands the baby to Bail, and then says "Sabine, would you like to keep the crayons?"

Sabine's eyes are like moons. "Really?"

"You love them so much, and Leia is still too young to play with them," Breha says before adding "They're all worn down to nubs anyway" under her breath.

"Wow!"Sabine marvels. _"Wow!"_

"What do you say?" Korkie prompts.

"Thank you Mr. Bail and Mrs. Breha!"

Bo turns her attention to Bail and Breha. "Thank you for watching Sabine."

"Oh, she was no trouble at all," Bail says. "She just colored the whole time."

He turn the child on his hip toward us. "This is our daughter Leia."

The tot blinks, and her presence in the Force nearly knocks me over. I've only felt one like it once, years ago…

I hand Tavin to Lux, afraid I'll drop him.

Bail sees the look in my eyes, and nods.

This is Anakin's daughter.

I hold my hands out. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course," Bail says, handing Leia over to me.

Leia is older than Tav. Old enough to shriek "Da-ee! Da-ee!" over and over while kicking me with her chubby little legs. I hand her back to Bail, the contact all too short.

Just then, a handmaiden walks in through the door.

"Mina Bonteri?"

Mina all but shoves her way to the front of the room. "Yes?"

"Please follow me to the medical bay. Your daughter is awake."

 **A/N: You all can breathe a sigh of relief now. Sierra's not going anywhere for the time being.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, WishIwasaJedi, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**


	18. We Profile The Survivor

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – WE PROFILE THE SURVIVOR**

 **LUX**

Mom and I don't wait for the handmaiden to show us the way. I just hand the baby to Ahsoka and run full steam toward the Med Bay, the others on our heels.

When we all try to push into the Med Bay, the nurse blocks the door.

"I'm sorry, but she's very upset. Family only." She says.

"I am her mother! Let me in!" Mom orders.

"We're all family." Ahsoka says.

The nurse blinks. _"All_ of you?"

"Well…" I look at all of my friends. "Yes."

The nurse shrugs, and steps aside.

…

Her arms are lined with IVs. The oxygen nubbins are still in her nose. Her skin is still pale.

But Empire be damned, she's alive.

"Mom?" Sierra asks groggily.

Mom smiles. "Hi, honey."

"What happened?"

Mom pushes Sierra's hair out of her face, carefully untangling the dark strands from the cannula. "You were in shock. We flew you to Alderaan as fast as we could." She explains, her voice smooth and gentle.

"Mom, we have to ditch the ship." Sierra says. "Tor…he knows…I told him everything."

We expected this. But the terror in Sierra's voice takes it to a different level, one I hadn't considered when we discussed it logically, analytically.

This is the person who suffered through family reunions with smothering aunts and grouchy uncles with me. Who hosted tea parties in which I was an unwilling guest. Who was right with me as we jumped on our parents' bed on Life Day morning to wake them. My permanent playmate and my companion throughout childhood. Even if we went on and on about how much we hated each other, we both know we'll take a bullet for the other in a split second.

And she's shattered.

"Hutch, get a new identification plate." I say. "We'll give the ship a paint job, it'll look newer that way. There are lots of freighters flying around."

"We have to find a new way to pick marks, too." Sierra moans. "And different aliases, and we can't use the janitor trick anymore. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Sierra, we understand. It's all right." Ahsoka says. "Most of us would have done the same thing."

But Sierra doesn't hear her.

"It hurt so much. I thought I was going to die, Mom. I thought I was going to die unless I told him!"

Mom scoops her up in her arms.

"It's all right," she coos, rocking her. "It's okay. We're never going to let him near you again."

Sierra sobs against Mom's shoulder. I throw my arms around the both of them, holding my desperate mother and my shaking sister, and crying.

Hero speaks up.

"Sierra," she says awkwardly, possibly the mouthpiece for Hutch, probably speaking for herself. "We all love you very, very much."

Sierra glances over Mom's shoulder, looks at Steela up and down, and starts crying harder.

That's when I start crying.

My mom, my sister and I are a triad curled together on the Med Bay bed, crying.

 **STEELA**

A half hour after the nurse banished everyone but Lux and Mina from Sierra's room, Lux and Mina emerge with a message.

Sierra wants me in her room. Alone.

"Oh boy, what did you do?" Saw asks.

I have no idea what I've done. But I stand up and enter Sierra's room all the same.

"It's good to see you again."

"You too," Sierra tells me.

"Are you feeling better?" I ask. "I can get you another blanket if you want, or some-."

"I'm good," Sierra says, pulling her blanket to cover herself more.

I take a seat in the chair next to her bed and wait for a minute.

"I know you didn't call me in here just because you wanted to see my pretty face."

Sierra looks down at my belly.

"What is it?"

"What is…oh."

I glare down at my belly, angry at myself. Because guess what I was too worried to remember?

I forgot to take off my stupid fake baby bump.

"Oh. _That."_

"How long did you guys leave me there?" she asks. "I saw you before I was taken, and you weren't that big. Though someone," she fake-coughs Rex's name "Saw more than I did, I guess."

"You were there for four days." I say, trying not to laugh.

"Four days? No way! You don't just explode after four… _why are you laughing?"_

I lift up the bottom of my shirt, tears leaking out of my eyes I'm laughing so hard. "It's _fake!_ We used it to sneak my gear past the X-ray scanner. _Ha, ha, ha!"_

Sierra's eyes are glued to the bundle of rags and wire mesh. "Wait, what?"

I reach behind my back and undo the snaps, removing the belly. "It was a part of a scam, and I forgot to take it off."

"What?" She stares at it, trembling with rage. "How in the name of the force do you forget to take something like that off? And why didn't you tell me when we were on the ship? Do you know what I thought? Don't you realize I thought you guys had left me with that _monster?"_

I barely have time to put the fake belly down before she begins to sniff.

Oh great. When Sierra gets really, really angry she cries. If Mina hears it through the door I'm toast.

"I'm sorry I forgot to take it off. If it makes you feel better, the wire part was stabbing me the whole time."

Sierra looks up. "The wire part?"

"Yeah," Using my left hand to steady myself on her bed, I dump the fake belly in a waste receptacle. "There, is that better?"

She stares at my hand. "Steela, is that a ring?"

 _Guess what else I forgot to take off?_

"Are you going to marry Rex?"

"Hang in there honey, I'm not marrying anyone."

"What did Hero say?"

"You know what this ring is. You were one of the people who helped Katooni pay for it!"

Sierra sits up all the way, a smile lifting her lips ever-so-slightly. I stand up.

"Your mom is going to kill you if she catches you doing that."

"And you aren't?"

"It's a good thing I'm not your mom." I say, pushing her back down. "Just so you know, she's only a room away and she'll come running if you say the word. Or," I point out, "If you make a racket. Then she'll be in here wanting somebody's head."

"Is it true what Tor said about Katooni?" she whispers, suddenly the picture of seriousness. "He said that he'd sent the Inquisition after her, and you guys had to go save her first."

"It's true," I tell her. "That psycho Inquisitor Barriss -."

"The one you want to punch in the face?"

"That very one. Anyway, she kidnapped Katooni from a grocery store, dragged her off-planet to an old temple that was under construction, and to get Katooni back we had to pose as StarChucks baristas."

Sierra raises an eyebrow. "StarChucks?"

"Oh, do we have stories to tell you." I mutter, pushing a hand through my hair. "Oh, and your mom says she can fix up your hair a little later."

Sierra reaches up to touch her cropped hair. "I'd like that. Tor didn't really care about looks when he cut it, he just chopped it off in one go."

I take a step back.

"He didn't do it while you were asleep?"

"No, he brought scissors with him when he came to take my temperature." She makes a face and adds dully. "If I knew that, I'd have tried to stab them into his heart."

 _What was he thinking? If I was going to cut a prisoner's hair, I'd do it while they couldn't fight back._

 _Unless…_

I can't just go running out of the hospital room. I have to make an excuse, and a good one at that.

"I'm sure you would." I say, and Sierra rolls her eyes.

"I would have gotten it, too."

I glance at the chrono. "The nurse is going to come in any minute now to check your IVs, and I'm not exactly supposed to be here, so I'm going to run before I get kicked out of the hospital." I lie.

 **AHSOKA**

"Steela! For the love of the force, slow down!" Hero begs.

Steela completely ignores her. "I can't believe we missed it. It's not about security, it's about his own sick mind. Why didn't we think of it before?"

I stare at Tav, still in my arms.

"Do you know what she's talking about?" I ask him.

"Ba?"

"I thought so."

Steela babbles on and would probably keep going, if not for Tandin, who steps up, grabs her by the shoulders, and uses what is hands down the most effective tool in getting someone's attention: their middle name.

 _"Steela June!"_

Steela stops.

Tandin shakes her. "Take a deep breath, and then tell us what you're thinking."

Steela takes said deep breath. "Tor cut Sierra's hair."

"Yes, to disguise her from the rest of the Empire. That's also why he registered her under an alias." I point out.

Steela shakes her head. "I don't think it's that simple." She says. "Our physical profiles have five categories; height, weight, skin color, eye color, and hair color. There's nothing in there about hair length. So if he was trying to disguise her from people who've seen her profile, then why just cut her hair? Why not dye it?"

"Maybe he didn't have hair dye on hand." Lux says.

Hero shakes her head. "You can dye hair blonde with peroxide. Or use drink mix to make red. They probably have it out the wazoo and it's super easy to use too."

"Then why didn't he use it?"

I'm catching on, quickly. "Steela, did he cut her hair while she was awake?"

"Yes. She says that he didn't pay attention to details. It was one stroke."

She looks at us.

"Haircutting can be a sign of dominance." She says, "It takes away something a girl has cared for and maintained every single day of her life. It's not just their hair, it's their beauty."

"Guys." Hutch interrupts, "The audio from the surveillance footage of when she was taken shows two guards discussing one of Tor's orders. They don't tackle Sierra because Tor ordered them not to bruise her face."

"We need to talk to her. We need more details." Lux says, wiping his palms against his pant legs.

"I agree. If this whole crime was motivated by an obsession, then Commander Torrance could be in the middle of a mental breakdown. That will only make him more dangerous." Rex says.

Mom pushes her way to the front. "You want to interview Sierra now? When she's just come out of torture and shock?"

"Mrs. Bonteri, I know you're concerned but time is of the essence." Rex says. "Sierra has information that could help us bring Tor to justice once and for all."

"And if this is in fact a psychotic break, then we have a very small window of time to act." Tandin says. "We need to strike now, when he's in a precarious position. And we need to do it very, very well."

Mina pauses, waiting.

"Do it," she says finally. "But if this is too much, it stops immediately. On my orders."

"Don't worry, Mom." Lux says. "I think I have the perfect little therapist."

…..

"Tav, who is that?" I ask, carrying the baby into Sierra's room.

"Pvee!" he shrieks.

Sierra holds out her arms. "Ahsoka, bring him over here?"

I set my son on her chest. She grabs him by the sides, lifting him up a little.

"Oh, I missed you." She coos.

"Pvee," Tav repeats.

"That means he missed you too." Lux translates. "Sierra, can we ask you some questions?"

"What about?"

"When did Tor cut your hair?"

Sierra shrinks into her bed, the baby drooling all over her chest. "In my cell. He did it right after he took my temperature."

Out of Sierra's immediate sightlines, Hero writes that down.

"Did he say anything to you when he did?" Rex asks.

"Um, he said he was sorry, but he had to." She says.

I sigh. "Did he say anything more about your appearance?"

"He might have said that I look like my Dad," She says, making herself smaller by the second. "Why?"

"I know this is confusing, but it's important. Did he take something from you that wouldn't make sense for him to take? Like a piece of cheap jewelry, a barrette, anything?"

"Just my sweater, but that was to freeze me out…" She looks at all of us. "What's going on?"

"Just one last question." I promise. "What did he do with your hair?"

She pauses. The only sound is Tav, snuggled against her chest and gurgling a soft "Pbbbb."

"He took it with him." She says. "I figure he dumped it in an incinerator or something."

"No, he didn't. Steela, you were right. This is about obsession, but it's not with beauty. This is another one."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sierra's hair isn't a by-product, it's a trophy." I say. "He wants to remember this. He wants to remember how he tortured John Bonteri's daughter."

 **A/N: And here we go again. Let's just sit back, relax, and watch the rebels do what they do best. Steal!**

 **Thank you to Rose Ravenclaw, WishIwasaJedi, starwarshobbitfics, and Johnt12345 for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	19. We Steal Everything Again

**CHAPTER NINETEEN – WE STEAL EVERYTHING…AGAIN**

" _You want to know what the trick is? It's confidence. You believe what they're saying and they'll believe it too. Doesn't matter how many misses, 'cause it's the hits that they'll remember."_

 _-Leverage_

Mina doesn't know how her friends plan on getting back at Tor with Sierra still in the hospital. The medical droid ordered her to stay overnight to get fluids and later she'll be able to go home on crutches. Her right leg is completely encased in a plaster cast.

Until then, she puts Tav's bouncy seat in the corner of the room, borrows a pair of scissors from the Organas and begins to fix Sierra's haircut.

Mina has barely finished trimming when she hears it.

Sierra blinks. "Mom, was that..?"

"Yes, that was the ship's engine. Your brother is in endless trouble when he gets back," she says evenly, continuing to trim her daughter's hair.

 _"Endless_ trouble, I tell you," Mina growls under her breath, glancing over to Tav in his bouncy seat.

….

The rebels return one day later, when Sierra is out of the hospital and hobbling around the Organas' house.

"You're back." she comments, followed immediately by "Mom is going to kill you." 

"Why would she kill us?"

"Maybe because you all took off without telling her and left Tav for her to babysit?" Sierra asks, balancing herself on her crutches.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?" Lux asks.

"Eleven." Sierra says dully. "You might be able to knock it down to ten if you tell me what you all were doing besides sneaking off like a bunch of teenagers in trouble."

Hero snickers. "You're going to like this. A lot…"

Saw looks around the corner. "But first, we'd better get back to your room in the Med Bay. Mina can't make a racket in there, the medical droid will throw her out."

"That's a good idea," Ahsoka whispers. "And we'd better hurry. Mina might have heard the -."

 _"Where have you been?"_

Lux's face falls.

Mina charges around the corner, Tav on her hip. _"You took the ship. No warning! No comm call! No note! You could have died!"_

"Mom, we had to do it."

 _"No you did not, Lux Michael Bonteri!"_

Ahsoka interrupts the brewing argument. "Mina, I think Tav is about to cry."

Mina looks down at the baby's newly red, scrunched-up face. She hands him over to Ahsoka, who scoops him onto her hip like the pro she is.

"Hi, Tav. Guess who's home?"

"Ma-ma."

Ahsoka freezes.

"Lux, did he just…"

"Ma-ma." Tav repeats, looking directly at Ahsoka.

Lux is dumbfounded. "I think he just said his first word."

Ahsoka is near tears. "Yes! That's right Tav, I'm Ma-ma. And this is Da-da." She looks around the room. "He just said Mama. _Tav just said Mama!"_

The room applauds.

Hutch clears his throat. "Um…Mina? What we did was actually very, very important."

"Really?" Mina asks with no small amount of danger in her voice. "What did you do?"

"We brought Tor down. And this one's going in all of our porfolios, I'd say it's one of our best cons yet."

….

The Sector Ranger is sick to death of the Japrael system. He hates the insignificant worlds' Onderon's fussy king, and the band of con men ripping off the Empire left and right.

His datapad dings. A new HoloMail has arrived.

A position has opened up on Coruscant. Does he want it?

The former Ranger has his resignation handed in and his ship in hyperspace by nightfall.

….

"Did a position really open?" Mina asks skeptically.

Lux rubs the back of his neck. "Well yes…at the Senate Building's StarChucks."

…..

 _Hutch and Hero sat at their computers, running background checks on each and every applicant for the Sector Ranger's open position._

 _"I'm moving all the résumés to the automatic delete box," Hutch says._

 _"So the only one who can get hired is the one we want." Hero finishes, watching remotely as the lone application is processed._

…

Tor thinks he knows why the Sector Ranger has called him into his office. The Bonteri girl sung like a little bird when he broke her leg, and he now has made great leaps in hunting her friends down. She knows it, too.

 _Really, it's a shame she escaped._ He thinks, _For the thieves. They'll have to plug in night lights for her, and even that may not work._

The man sitting at the Sector Ranger's desk isn't the familiar, tired man. He's new. The striped and bars on his new uniform shine, and the photographs on his desk are still perfectly placed.

"Commander Torrance."

"Mr. Ranger, sir." Tor greets, shaking his hand.

"Please sit," the Ranger gestures to a chair in front of his desk, and Tor takes it. The Ranger sits behind his desk and says "I received the reports from a recent interrogation."

"The prisoner's people managed to carry out a rescue mission, but we did extract a great deal of information about the con artists from her." Tor says proudly.

The ranger looks across the desk at him.

Tor can sense this conversation rapidly going downhill

"I read that. What I would like to talk about are the methods of interrogation used. To my understanding, she was sixteen standard years of age." He tents his fingers. "Care to explain?"

"The tactics we used to extract the intel were in concordance with her charges. For fraud and grand theft on the scale which she perpetrated them, that includes advanced interrogation."

The ranger isn't convinced. "You see, Commander, I have an eight-year-old."

Oh, this is not good at all.

"I do not condone the use of advanced interrogation on minor children," the ranger says crisply. "No matter their charges. And while I was investigating the matter, I got a call from Child Protective Services."

….

 _"Child protective services. How can I help you?"_

 _"Hello," Hero said, pinching her nose to disguise her voice. "This is Kim from records. I'm just calling because I have a discrepancy in an arrest warrant and an incident report. Can you help clear this up for me?"_

 _"Of course. The child's name?"_

 _"That's the problem. You see, she's been registered under two names…"_

…

"Seems like you have a bit of a record, Mr. Torrance. And on CPS' report, Sierra Bonteri is called Annie Bennet." Tor grips the arms of the chair, but the ranger keeps on going. "That's called obstruction of justice, Tor. There's no way to get 'Annie' from 'Sierra'. Or 'Bennet' from 'Bonteri', for that matter. You know what our policy is regarding obstruction of justice. Commander, care to explain why this prisoner was registered under a false name?"

Tor desperately tries to backpedal. "We identified her using a DNA search and used the name on the profile. The con artists must have altered it."

"Actually," the ranger corrects, "She didn't have a profile. Which leads us into our next issue. The forged papers gave us probable cause to search your home. Your girlfriend was more than happy to let this in. Something about a 'Celestine'."

…

 _A young woman knocked on Sue's apartment door._

 _"Hello, are you Sue Hannigan? Do you live here with your boyfriend Tor?"_

 _"Yes," Sue said suspiciously, giving the woman the up-and-down._

 _The woman handed her an envelope. "I have some things your boyfriend would really not want you to see. Have you ever heard of an exotic dancer named Celestine?"_

 _Sue snatched the envelope from her hand and shut the door. The young woman turned and walked away._

 _"It's all done, Lux." She says._

 _"Thanks, Steela. Man, I wish I could see Tor's face."_

… _._

Tor can just picture Sue's face when she found out about Celestine.

The ranger sets a wooden box on the table and opens it. "Your girlfriend says these aren't yours."

Tor looks into the box even though he already knows what's inside. A man's wedding ring, and a lock of brown hair tied with a blue ribbon. His mind races for an excuse.

"That's my father's ring, and the hair is my sister's." he lies.

The Sector Ranger is completely unimpressed. "We brought the items to the lab when Sue couldn't identify them. There was latent DNA on the ring and it matched a sample in the system for a John Bonteri." Tor fumbles to explain, but the ranger cuts him off. "The hair and the skin cells had an enormous genetic overlap. These two donors were a father and daughter, and I can't think of any good reason for you to have these items."

"It was a gift," Tor says, strangled.

"Really?" the ranger asks, his face betraying his anger. "We're supposed to believe that the girl cut off her hair to give to you? And John Bonteri gave you his _wedding ring?"_

He scribbles some notes on a piece of flimsi. "We're done here. Peter Torrance, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice, falsifying records, brutality, and the taking of war trophies."

 **STEELA**

Sierra freezes.

"Wait, you got him arrested?"

"He should be getting his mug shot taken right about now." Lux says smugly, very pleased with himself. "Or he's desperately trying to avoid the other inmates. Think they'll take kindly to a cruel warden who hurts kids?"

He watches with glee as his little sister's face lights up like a sun.

 _"You are the best brother ever!"_ she cheers, reaching to hug him and apparently forgetting her current state.

Mina shouts "Sierra, the crutches!" just as Ahsoka catches her in midair to keep her from falling on her face as the crutches clatter to the ground. Saw and Lux fix them back under her arms.

"Is it just me, or do your foresee a repeat of Steela's journey off nysillin?" Saw grumbles. "Oh my force, that was so annoying."

"You know, I'm right here." I point out, tapping my foot. "Sierra, it's a good think you know how to walk on those. We're going home."

…

"Home", of course, is only ten steps and a "Thank you, Senator Organa! If you find a mysterious stack of credits on your doorstep they're from us!" away.

Our ship is already baby-proofed, it doesn't take much longer to crutch-proof it. We only have to pick up our one rug and there's nothing for Sierra's crutches to potentially catch on.

The evening progresses as normally as it can go under the circumstances. We eat dinner. Saw cheats when he and Rex play sabaac, but he still loses. As the rest of us get ready for bed, everyone who actually cares to watch the University of Onderon lose sits in front of the TV.

Sierra hobbles over to her bed and sits down, absently grabbing one of her holobooks. I glance at the cover. She hates that one.

"It's still crazy in here," I note. With her stuff, my stuff, Katooni's stuff, and stuff-we-don't-even-know-who-it-belongs-to-but-if-you're-using-it-it's-mine, our room is basically organized chaos. It gets worse when we pull Katooni's trundle out from under Sierra's bed, thus taking up all our floor space.

"Has it ever not been crazy?" She asks.

I shrug. "At least we're not pulling out Katooni's bed. She's been sleeping with Hutch and Hero since they got her back.

Hutch will probably be happy when Kat moves back here. Last night, I was returning Hero's shirt and saw the sleeping arrangement."

"Really?"

"Hero was smashed against the wall. Katooni was in the middle, she looked cozy and not cramped. Hutch was barely clinging to the edge of the bed. The sound of me opening the door woke up Hero, and she sat up. Unfortunately, that was enough to knock Hutch off the bed."

Sierra snorts. "Hutch versus gravity, huh?"

"Your mom said you and Lux had a few incidents with Lux versus gravity."

She nods. "I pushed him off a diving board once when I was ten. Mom and Dad read me the riot act for that one."

That's when I notice she's holding the holobook down too low to actually be reading it. When she's not looking, I crane my neck to see what she's hiding behind it.

It's a pink stuffed Gundark, worn and ragged as if she's had it a long time.

Very carefully, I take the holobook from her hands.

"How long have you had him?"

Sierra turns pink as the toy. "It must have been in my duffel bag when we ran. I've had it since I was a baby."

Now I may not be a grifter, but I know that when a sixteen-year-old is white-knuckling a stuffed animal, they are terrified.

"Sierra, do you want me to sleep next to you tonight?"

"Please," her voice is so small.

…..

" _Do you want me to sleep next to you tonight?"_

Ha. _Ha!_ That sentence is a joke. It implies that we're actually getting some sleep tonight.

Sierra can't sleep without the light on. She tosses and turns, unable to close her eyes without seeing Tor. And when she does fall asleep she's up within the hour, soaked with sweat and sobbing.

I start to wish I'd shot Tor where he stood.

To make matters worse, Tav is being extremely fussy. He's been screaming all night, and when I managed to sneak out to get a drink of water Ahsoka told me that she thinks he's teething.

I have no idea what teething babies do. Apparently they lie on their mothers' shoulders, screaming and pulling at their ears while Mommy bounces and rocks them so that they will somehow to go sleep. But here's what I do know.

Tav and Sierra are waking each other up.

And Ahsoka and I are getting _no_ sleep because of it.

At the moment, however, it's pretty peaceful. Tav is quiet, and Sierra is sleeping. I turn down the covers on the trundle bed and slip between the sheets as quietly as possible. Oh, the pillow under my head feels so good…

And then I hear it from the hallway.

 _"Ahsoka, do you want me to take him for a while. You need a rest."_ Lux says.

 _"Thank you,"_ Ahsoka whispers. I hear the smooching sound of a kiss, suddenly followed by an ear-piercing:

 _"Waaaaaa!"_

I squeeze my eyes shut. Oh please, please let Lux and Ahsoka get the baby back to sleep. Please don't let the screaming wake up –

"Get away from me!"

Too. Late.

I shake her shoulder, hard. "Sierra, wake up! You're having a nightmare."

"No, no, no!" Sierra sobs, awake but not yet out of her panic attack.

The bedroom door opens and Lux steps in.

"I'm sorry. I jostled Tav a little too much. He has a preference, and that preference is Mama," he apologizes, rushing over to the other side of Sierra. With a tentative hand, he places his arms around his sister.

"It's all right. You're safe," he says, rocking her back and forth.

I step back.

Sierra is still shaking, but less so. She's safe with Lux, just like I was when Saw extended that same kind of comfort.

"You're such a good brother," I whisper when she sits quietly in Lux's arms, probably on the road to sleep again.

"What?" Lux whispers.

" _Woooohoooooo!"_

" _Look! Look at that! In your face, University of Mandalore!"_

I roll my eyes. "Hang on, let me go find out what that's all about."

But I've no sooner walked up to the door than Hero rips it open.

"The University of Onderon won!" she yells.

Sierra's jaw drops. "The University of Onderon did _what?"_

I look out into the hallway. Sure enough, there's Hutch doing a victory dance in front of the TV, singing "Ruping Battle Cry".

" _On Onderon there is a team that's known throughout the land!"_ he belts. _"Eleven warriors brave and bold whose fame will ever stand!"_

Ahsoka muscles into the bedroom. "Guys, you've got to see this. All the fans are flooding the field!" she says.

Lux grabs Sierra like a child and literally carries her out into the living room. I'm more than happy to follow.

"Hutch, stop moving. You're blocking the screen." Saw crabs.

Hutch ignores him, opting instead to dance around the room with Hero and belt out "Ruping Battle Cry".

Rex, still decked out in his University of Mandalore fan wear, is dancing with Katooni. Shot in the dark, she begged him to.

Lux dumps Sierra on the couch and I focus in on the screen. The blue-and-orange clad U of Onderon fans swallow the field, climbing on the goal posts and celebrating one of our team's victories. Something so rare, and so absolutely wonderful.

Victory at last for U of Onderon.

Victory, sort of, for us.

I join in on the singing for the last verse of Ruping Battle Cry.

 _"Our honor defend, so we'll fight to the end for On-der-on!"_

….

 **Two months later**

Hutch fires up the projector in the common room, bringing up the image of an Imperial Moff.

Lux blinks. "I said no more Moffs, Hutch. They bring in the ISB, and we all know what happens with the ISB."

"I know," Hutch says. "But this is huge."

He nods toward the image. "Meet Head Advisor Henri de Celenon, Steela's not-so-great replacement. Now, I may want to stab this guy with a fork, but we can't have a mission completely focused on that, now can we?"

"What did he do?" Saw asks.

"Don't even get me started on that. Just focus on what he has." Hutch says. "This guy has a holotrace device that can track the source of any known holo transmission."

"Wait a minute, Hutch," Lux says dryly. "I stole that device and lost it during my…brush with Death Watch."

"Well, they apparently got it back. If they have it, it's only a matter of time before they unmask every member of the Rebel Alliance."

"We need money anyway." Hero points out. "And if you don't do it, we will. Ahsoka, what are you thinking?"

Ahsoka rubs her chin. "I'm thinking we should run the in-and-in."

"Good plan," Steela says. "Only there's one problem, we need one more person to run the in-and-in…"

"Yeah…" Sierra says, playing off Steela's move. "If only we had one more person."

Lux sighs.

"Okay. Fine." He grumbles. "Let's go pick on the Empire one more time."

 **A/N: And that, my friends, marks the end of While Others Fought For Justice**

 **I would like to extend the world's biggest thank you to 082 Martian Scout. He has helped so, so much with this story, and he deserves all the thanks in the world.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, Johnt12345, and WishIwasaJedi for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review! I'm interested to see what you think of Tor's facing justice.**

 **Until Next Time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


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